I LIBRARY OF CONGRESS.^ 



tp"'?- - ^om¥-^i I'o- - # 



I UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. ^ 



DANIEL, 



A MODEL FOR YOUNG MEN. 



^ Mm 0f Wms, 



^ REV. W: A'TS T T, D. D, 

NEW ORLEANS. 



NEW YORK : 

ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 

285 BROADWAY. 

1854. 










Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1854, by 

ROBERT CARTER & BROTHERS, 

in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the 

Southern District of New York. 



TOBITT'S COMBINATION-TTPB, 

181 William sU 



PKINTEB BT 

JOHiT A. GRAY 
95 & 97 Cliff St. 






DEDICATION. 



To the Young Men of the South and South-West^ and especially of 
New Orleans^ this volume is most respectfully inscribed, as an expres- 
sion of the author's admiration of their enterprise and noble bearing 
in business. And in making this dedication, lie cannot withhold his 
fervent prayer, that, like Daniel, they may by an enlightened piety and 
patriotism serve their country and their God faithfully, and attain at 
last to everlasting life and glory. 



RECOMMENDATORY NOTICE. 



BY W. B. SPRAGUE, D. 0. 



The Lectures that compose this volume, have manifold claims 
CD the patronage of the Christian public. That these claims will 
be acknowledged and honoured, in due time, there is no reason to 
doubt ; but meanwhile it may not be amiss just to advert to some 
of the grounds on which they rest. 

In the first place, these Lectures are invested with great interest, 
in consideration of the class to whom they are addressed. They are 
young persons, who have just entered the great school of life ; whose 
characters are yet but partially formed, and around whom Christian 
philanthropy would naturally desire to throw every influence, favour- 
able to their intellectual and moral culture, with reference to both the 
life that now is, and that which is to come. They are young men — in 
whom are prospectively bound up both the civil and Christian well- 
being of society ; on whom it will devolve a few years hence to settle 
great problems of weal or woe, that will tell on the destinies of the 
world. They are more especially the class of young men who reside 



iy RECOMMENDATORY NOTICE. 

in cities; where, more than anywhere else, the tempter holds his 
throne ; where the opportmiities for doing good or evil are multiphed 
indefinitely j insomuch that it takes but little tune for a young man in 
these circumstances to work himself into a model of Christian activity, 
or a monster of vice and crune. Any well-directed effort then to form 
the characters of young men, especially in large cities, to virtue and 
piety and honourable usefuhiess, is worthy of all praise, and will be 
sure not to lose its reward. 

In the next place, the portion of Scripture which forms the subject 
of these Lectures, is, on many accounts, one of remarkable interest. In 
its historical details, nothing can exceed it — it records events which 
stand out in the world's history, and form some of the most impressive 
illustrations of the Divine character. Its prophecies also are worthy 
of the most profound and earnest inquiry ; though, as these Lectures 
were designed to be of altogether a popular character, it was not fitting 
that they should include any elaborate investigation. Then the char- 
acter of Daniel is one of the purest and most exalted of which even 
the inspired record has preserved an account. In respect to intelli- 
gence, industry, integrity, consistency and devotion, he shone with 
almost unequalled lustre j and there is no condition of prosperity, or 
adversity, or temptation, in which a young man can be placed, but 
that the example of Daniel, duly considered, may either shed some 
light upon the path of duty, or suggest some motives for diligently 
pursuing it. 

There will be little difference of opinion, it is presumed, on the 
question, whether the author has done justice to his noble theme. No 
intelligent and candid reader wiU doubt that he has brought out the 
mind of the Spirit with great clearness and force. He has discussed a 



RECOMMENDATORY NOTICE. T 

great variety of questions — historical, theological and practical, that 
naturally suggest themselves j and has shown himself at every point 
thoroughly at home. One very important feature of the work is, that 
it furnishes incidentally a vast amount of evidence of the Divine 
authority of the Scriptures — a point upon which young men, especially 
at this day, need to be enhghtened and strengthened, in order that 
they may resist the insidious and multiform assaults of skepticism. 
Dr. Scott has left upon every page of his work the impress of a vigor- 
ous, discriminating, independent mind. Without any affectation of 
originaUty, he has his own way of saying things ; and a terse, striking 
and effective way it is. Without apparently thinking of the graces of 
composition, his style is always perspicuous and manly, and sometimes 
radiant with beautiful imagery. You feel that you are in contact with 
a mind of bold and lofty impulses, and with a heart that is in unison 
with every measure for the promotion of human virtue and happiness. 
There is yet one other circumstance to which I cannot but allude, 
that seems to me to bespeak for these Lectures a more than common 
share of attention — I refer to the fact that Dr. Scott's position as a 
minister in New Orleans, rendered it peculiarly fitting that he should 
perform just such a service as this: it is doubtful whether there is 
any other place in the United States in which he could speak to so 
large a number of young men, especially those who are thrown out of 
the range of the endearing associations of home ; and the instructions 
and coimsels which he would address to the young men of his own 
charge, must of course be equally adapted to others of the same class 
in similar circmnstances. And I cannot forbear to add that, to my 
own mind at least, the work gathers additional interest from the fact 
that its author was prevented from giving it the revision he intended. 



Vi RECOMMEND ATORT NOTICE. 

by having been kept so constactlj in contact with sickness and death 
during the last summer. His readers, while they vrill be well con- 
tented to take the work as it is, will hardly fail to have their gratitude 
awakened, that such a hfe as his was preserved amidst such self-deny- 
ing and perilous labours. 

There is one circumstance pertaining to the history of this pub- 
lication which I cannot forbear to note, as strikingly illustrative of the 
care which Providence often takes of our concerns, through indirect 
and apparently undesigned instrumentalities. The publishing of this 
work was originally undertaken by the Harpers ; and the sheets, as 
they were printed, were sent to me, by the author's request, with a 
view to my writing an introductory paragraph or two, after I had read 
them. As the printing was nearly finished, I had written all that I 
thought necessary, and had forwarded it to the publishers on the very 
day before the fire swept away their immense establishment. Not 
only my humble contribution, but the MS. of the Lectures, and even 
the stereotype plates, which were nearly completed, perished in the 
conflagration ; and the only copy of the Lectures that remained was 
that which had been sent to me in the proof-sheets, and which, by the 
merest accident, had escaped destruction. I congratulate myself on 
having been thus instrumental in the preservation of a work, the good 
effects of which I confidently expect will reach far beyond the present 
generation. 

It is due to myself to state that the only consideration that has 
seemed to me to justify, in any degree, the writing of these paragraphs, 
is that the respected author of this work resides in a part of the coun- 
try so distant from this, that there may be some circles at the North, 
and especially in New England, in which he is not so familiarly known 



RECOMMENDATORY NOTICE. vfi 

as to supersede the necessity of an introduction from some one more 
immediately identified with this region. It was this circumstance, I 
am sure, that drew from him the request with which I have now com- 
plied ', and if what I have written shall procure an additional reader to 
the book, I shall feel quite satisfied. I will only add that he and I 
have never yet seen each others' faces ; nor will he have read this brief 
notice, till the printer has rendered it useless for either his judgment 
or his modesty to suggest corrections. I am glad of the opportunity 
thus to give him the hand of fraternal fellowship even a thousand miles 
off J and I pray God to cause his course as an author as well as a 
Christian minister, to shine more and more unto the perfect day. 

Albany, March 2, 1854. 



PEEFACE. 



It has been my custom for more than ten years to devote my 
Sabbath evenings, during the winter and spring months, to young 
men. On such occasions I have delivered above one hundred and 
fifty different discourses. During this portion of the year I have 
to preach three discourses each week, the Sabbath evening discourse 
being one of them. The lectures now presented to the public are 
not a selection out of these hundred and fifty, but the Sabbath 
evening series of the last season. It will be understood, therefore, 
that these lectures were prepared from week to week amid the 
pressure of the duties, cares, and anxieties inseparable from a large 
city congregation. They were listened to by crowded assemblies, 
and with increasing interest to the close of the series. When these 
lectures were promised to the publishers, it was my intention to 
revise them during the leisure moments of summer. But it is well 
known that early in June the yellow fever became epidemic in our 
city, and has continued to prevail, with perhaps unparalleled fatality 
up to the present time. More than ten thousand persons have died 
in this city since its ravages began in June ; and among them, 
many of the precious youth who listened to these lectures have 
fallen its victims, and are now sleeping their long sleep with the- 
dead, in a soil that knows not the dust of their fathers, and from 
which the trumpet of the last day alone can awaken them. It may 
be readily supposed that in filling my pulpit, and in visiting the 



PREFACE. ' ' r 

sick, in burying the dead, and in attempting to instruct, encourage, 
and comfort the living and the bereaved, and alleviate the miseries 
of the suffering poor, I have had but little time or heart for the 
work of revision. And now with the autumn a new campaign 
opens, that imperatively requires day hy day all my time and all 
my strength. These lectures, then, must be published as they are, 
or not at all. With the humble hope that they may do good, I 
have ventured to send them to the publishers. 

Whoever looks into this volume will see that I do not enter upon 
the prophecies of Daniel. If it were desirable for me to give the 
public my views of them, it does not fall within the scope of this 
effort to do so. The plan of these lectures requires that they should 
be read with an open Bible, and that the portions of Scripture 
indicated in each lecture should be read at the same time with the 
lecture. One great object in view, in this and in all my labors as 
a minister of the Gospel, is to give prominence to the Scriptures 
of God, which are the testimony of the Holy Spirit concerning 
Jesus Christ out Lord, and are intended to lead us to a saving ap- 
prehension of His Truth and Grace. / am persuaded that the 
young men required for our times must be thorough Bible men. 
They must be brought up on the pabulum of Bible truth. And I 
know of no more effectual method of imparting such truth to them 
than by explaining and enforcing the doctrines, precepts, and 
duties set forth in the lives of Bible heroes. 

The authors that have fallen in my way, and to which I am 
more or less indebted for help in preparing these lectures, are the 
following : Prselectiones Joannis Calvini in Librum Prophetiaruni 
Danielis, published in 1571 ; Diodati's Notes; W^orks of Plutarch 
and Josephus ; Orton's Exposition ; Layard's Nineveh ; Vaux's 
Nineveh and Persepolis ; Herodotus ; Eich's Babylon and Perse- 
polis ; Fletcher's Assyria ; Kitto's Bible Illustrations ; Gausen's Lec- 
tures ; White's Providence, Prophecy, and Popery ; and especially 



PREFACE. 

do I desire to acknowledge my obligations to the first-named above, 
the immortal Calvin, and, next to him, to Prof. Stuart, for his Com- 
mentary on Daniel, and to Hengstenberg, for his work on the 
Genuineness, <fec., and to Tregelles on Daniel, and to the lectures 
of Dr. Cumming, of London, on Daniel. As in the delivery of 
these lectures, it was my earnest endeavor, with God's help, to do 
good to the multitudes of young men that attended my ministry, 
so now they are committed to the press with the hope that by the 
Divine blessing they may be useful in directing such to the proper 
performance of their duties to their country, their fellow-men, and 
their ever blessed Creator ; and to Him, through Jesus Christ, be 
all the praise. Amen. 

W. A. Scott. 
New Orleans, 20th September, 1853. 



CONTENTS. 



LECTUEE I. 

PAGB. 
SUPERIORITY OF BIBLE BIOGRAPHY FOR GIVING LESSONS TO THE 

YOUNG MEN OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY 17 

LECTURE U. 

DANIEL A TRUE BIBLE PROPHET 35 

LECTURE IIL 

DANIEL AS A MAN A MODEL 56 

LECTURE ly. 

PRINCIPLES AND LESSONS FROM THE EUPHRATES 74 

LECTURE Y. 

THE LOST DREAM 98 

LECTURE YL 

THE DREAM RECOVERED 116 

LECTURE YII. 

THE FIERY FURNACE 138 

LECTURE Yin. 

CAVILS AT THE KING's PROCLAMATION 159 

LECTURE IX. 

LESSONS FROM THE KING's DREAM 183 

LECTURE X. 

god's universal SCEPTRE , ,..,,.. 201 



CONTENTS. 

PiGE. 

LECTURE XI. 
belshazzar's feast : its lessons to younq men 220 

LECTURE XIL 

WEIGHED AND WANTING 247 

LECTURE Xin. 

DANIEL THREATENED WITH THE LIOn's DEN 269 

LECTURE XIT, 

DANIEL CAST INTO THE LIONs' DEN 291 

LECTURE XY, 
FAITH TRIUMPHANT 309 

LECTURE XYI, 

DANIEL, A STUDY FOR YOUNG MEN AWAY FROM HOME 326 



LECTURES ON DANIEL. 



LECTUEE I. 

" To be ignorant of the lives of the most celebrated men of antiquity, is 
to continue in a state of childhood all our days." — Plato. 

" Social life is the aggregate of all the individual men's lives who con- 
stitate society. History is the essence of innumerable biographies." 

SUPEKIORITT OF BIBLE BIOGEAPHY FOK GIVING LESSONS TO 
YOUNG MEN OF THE NINETEENTH CENTFEY. 

Eom., XV. 4: For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written 
for our learning, that we, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, 
might have hope. 

S(yriptures suited for all Ages. — Reflection on the Period of early Youth. — The 
Bible a Picture-gallery. — William von Hurriboldt. — Bible to be read Earnestly, 
— Superiority of Example illustrated. — Origen^ Cicero. — Wellington, Webster. 
— Field open to all. — No possible Excuse for low Attainments in personal 
Piety and Christian Character. — Fountain-men wanted in our Times. 

The apostle alludes here to the Old Testament Scrip- 
tures, and assures us that thej were not intended merely 
for the Jews, nor for those generations in which they first 
appeared, but also for the instruction of succeeding gene- 
rations of mankind. That we, through patience and 
comfort of the Scriptures — that is, through those remark- 
able examples of patience exhibited by the saints and 
9. 



18 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

followers of God, whose history is given in the Scriptures, 
and by seeing the comfort which they derived from God, 
in their sufferings for the truth and in maintaining their 
piety in the midst of a wicked world — might ham ho^e 
— that we shall be upheld and blessed as they were, since 
we worship the same God and adhere to tl«e same faith 
with them. The apostle, in writing to the Hebrews, uses 
the same allusion. In the eleventh chapter to the He- 
brews, he enumerates a host of Old Testament worthies, 
and then says : Wherefore^ seeing we also are compassed 
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 
every weight, am^d the sin which doth so easily heset us, 
and let us run with patience the race that is set hefore us, 
loolcing unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. 

" Whoever,'' says Sir Charles Bell, " has sat on a sunny 
stone in the midst of a stream, and played with the 
pebbles, and osier-twigs, and running waters, must, if he 
have a soul, remember that day, should he live a hundred 
years ; and to return to such a spot after twenty years of 
a struggling life in the great world of man's inventions, 
is a still greater epoch. In age to go back thus to child- 
hood — to !N"ature in her simple guise — to look upon the 
same scenes, and again to behold the same trees, still in 
their youth and freshness, and the same clear-running 
waters and soft, sweet-looking grass-plots that we looked 
on in our dewy youth — it is impossible to do this, and 
not feel something of the deep marvelousness of this ever- 
changing life, and something of an earnest longing for 
clearer communings with the unseen world. If, with such 
reflections we seem, on the one hand, to be little better 



A CITY OF TORIES— BIBLE GALLERY. 19 

than corks floating on the stream, still, on the other hand, 
this very deep consciousness of earth's unsatisfying na- 
ture preaches to us that this stream of life may bear us 
onward and upward to gloky, honok, and immortality. 

Perhaps most of you, after years of absence, have re- 
visited the scenes of earlier youth ; or, if not the scenes 
of your own childhood, you have visited the birth-places 
and residences of great men ; and every remarkable ob- 
ject, every street and corner, tree, stone, and running 
brook, seemed to have a tale to unfold, and to bring to 
your recollection some circumstance important to your 
own or their times, and you seemed to yourself to be 
walking in a city of tombs. 

The Bible is just such a city of tombs. It has nothing, 
however, of the gloomy sadness of tombs about it. It is 
fragrant as the spicy groves of ''Araby the Blest !" It is 
a historical gallery that stretches across the waste of far 
off centuries, and delivers us from false conjectures, wild 
fablings, and vague theories. By opening up a system 
of pure Theism, it emancipates the world from degrading 
superstitions ; and by revealing the origin of our race, 
and incidentally communicating their dispersion over 
the globe, we are taught that all men are brethren. At 
Hampton Court there is a gallery of the beauties of 
Charles the First and Second; at Holyrood House, in 
Edinburgh, there is a gallery of all the kings of Scot- 
land; and in the City Hall of Frankfort-on-the-Maine, 
there is a gallery of all the emperors of Germany ; and 
in Yersailles, in the collection of pictures, statues,, and 



20 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the like, which is dedicated to all the glorj of France * 
a large suite of rooms is devoted to likenesses of the 
marshals of France. ISTow we have the privilege, young 
men, of opening a gallery containing more beauty, more 
sprightliness, more intellect, more courage, and more sub- 
limity of character, a thousand times told, than Hampton 
Court, Holyrood House, Frankfort, and Yersailles can 
show. Our gallery of paintings begins with the first 
man and woman, and comes down from Eden to Patmos 
— a long array of patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, 
sages and kings, and their mothers, wives, and daugh- 
ters. The pictures are drawn by hands as unerring as 
the rays that now give us our daguerrotypes. And these 
pictures, while life-Kke and flesh-colored, are always 
salutary in their influence. They feed no idle and licen- 
tious thoughts. They awaken the intellect and sanctify 
the affections. They regulate the passions, and point to 
themes ever elevating and noble. They save us from 
much that is evil, and inspire us with earnest desires for 
that which is good and holy. These are the pictures our 
fathers and mothers looked on for so many years, until 
they assumed their likeness, and have gone to their com- 
munion above. When traveling in a foreign land, it was 
always a delightful thought to me that my beloved ones 
at home might look at the same sun and moon, and gaze 
on some of the same stars that shone on me ; and when- 
ever I caught sight of the ocean, there was relief to the 
sadness of separation, in reflecting that its waters washed 

• * " A toutes les gloires de la France." 



FAMILY PORTRAITS.— HUMBOLDT- 21 

the shores of my own native land. So there is something 
affecting, deeply affecting, in the thought that the Bible 
portraits, which have been made by the direction of the 
Holy Spirit, are our family pictures — our household orna- 
ments and furniture from generation to generation. The 
good in every age before us have admired and imitated 
the faith of Abraham, the patience of Job, and the bene- 
volence of the 'New Testament. 

A profound scholar and great statesman, William von 
Humboldt, minister of the King of Prussia, says of the 
Scriptures, that " among the strongest, purest, and finest 
tones in which the voice of antiquity has reached us, may 
be reckoned the books of the Old Testament ; and we 
can never be enough thankful that in our translation they 
have lost so little of their reality and strength of expres- 
sion." He speaks ol' Luther's translation from the He- 
brew into the German language, which is, indeed, one of 
the finest translations ever made. Happily for us and 
our children, the same simplicity and strength charac- 
terizes our English version. "I have often," continues 
the Prussian statesman, " reflected with pleasure on the 
existence of so much that is exalted, rich, and varied, as 
is contained in the Bible, in the books ^of the Old and 
l^ew Testaments ; and if this be, as is very frequently the 
case, the only book in the hands of the people, yet have 
they in this a compendium of human thought, history, 
poetry, and philosophy, so complete, that it would be 
difficult to find a feelino; or a thouo^ht w^hich has not its 
echo in these books. ISTeither is there much in them 
which is incomprehensible to a common, simple mind. 



22 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

The learned maj penetrate deeper, but no one can go 
away unsatisfied.''* 

The Bible, m j yonng friends, is indeed, as your honored 
parents have tanght you, the gracious gift of God to man- 
kind. The Holy Scriptures are an invaluable blessing to 
our race. They bear upon their front and within them- 
selves the indubitable marks of their divine Original. 
The attempts of unbelievers to weaken or destroy the 
evidences in their favor, have only brought out the more 
clearly the many " infallible proofs " that they were 
"wiitten by inspii-ation of God." But while the out- 
works of Eevelation have been ably defended, too few 
have searched out with honesty and diligence the trea- 
sures deposited therein. It is something to be well estab- 
lished in the faith — to receive the Bible as the Word of 
God, but so far as a personal salvation is concerned, we are 
no better than the heathen, if we remain ignorant of what 
the Bible contains. A crude, undigested notion of divine 
things is a very unsatisfactory way to receive God's re- 
velation to us for our salvation. We may assent to the 
truth, excellence, and importance of the Scriptures, yet 
not give our serious attention to know what they teach, 
whereby we may glorify God aud enjoy Him forever. 
Curiosity alone might be deemed sufficient to prompt us 
t6 a diligent perusal of the sacred Yolume. But our duty 
in this matter is not left to the promptings of mere curi- 
osity. We are cwnTimnded\)j the very highest authority 

* Eeligious Thoughts and Opinions of William von Humboldt. Boston : 
1843. 



BIBLE BIOaHAPHIES WRITTEN FOR YOU. 23 

to search the Scriptures. Nor can we remain in ignorance 
of the sublime knowledge they reveal without a manifest 
contempt of God. J^othing should be more interesting 
to us than the will of God which is revealed to us, and 
requires of us unfeigned obedience. Who is the Lord, 
that I should serve Him ? What would He have me do ? 
May I obtain His favor ? Should I not dread His anger ? 
"Shese are questions, which to us, as sinners hastening on 
to death and judgment, it is of very serious consequence 
we should have answered in a proper manner. But these 
are questions which the Bible alone fully and faithfully 
resolves. It is something to insist on our duty to read 
the Bible from its beauties of language, the surprising 
facts it relates, the grandeur of its representations, and 
the sublimity of its doctrines ; but the highest recommen- 
dation for its study is : That it is the Wokd of the Living 
God, which is able to make us wise unto salvation. 
" But that which stamps upon the Scriptures the highest 
value," says Bishop Porteus, " that which renders them, 
strictly speaking, inestimable, and distinguishes them 
from all other in this world, is this, that they, and only 
they, contain the words of eternal life. In this respect, 
every other book, even the noblest composition of man, 
fails ; they cannot give us that we most want, and what i% 
of infinitely more importance to us than all other things 
put together — ^eternal life." But lest we should fail to 
see the practical tendency of Eevealed Truth, much the 
gi'eatest part of it is taken up with the records of history, 
and the description of remarkable lives. N"or are these 
to be passed over carelessly. They are. written for our 



24 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

admonition. 1. Tlie narrative of striking facts and the 
delineation of celebrated characters, is perhaps, of all 
methods of instruction, the most effective. Important 
truths are hereby conveyed to us in the most pleasing 
form, and deep impressions are made upon the mind be- 
yond any thing that mere dry doctrines or precepts can 
produce. No one is ignorant of the power of example 
both for good and evil. Such is man's nature, that he is 
more guided by the practice of others than by his own 
reason. A child writes more easily after a copy than by 
rule. Men are prone to imitate whatever they see done, 
be it good or bad, emulating the one and aping the other. 
Men love to be in society. You know the proverb says : 
"As well be out of the world as out of the fashion." 
Hence men will go any whither in company, presuming 
on defense, support and justification in the countenance 
of their fellow-men. Hence men will do as a mob what 
they could not be prevailed upon to do as individuals. 
Hence it is more difficult to make men behave with gra- 
vity and decorum in large assemblies, even in delibe- 
rative bodies, legislative and ecclesiastical, than in their 
social circles or as individuals. They satisfy their own 
minds, and justify their doings partly by dividing the 
Responsibility, and partly by pleading the authority of 
others. They are prone to think that laudable, allowable, 
or at least excusable, for which such precedents can be 
alleged. 

2. Examples inform and impress the mind m a man- 
ner more compendious, easy, and pleasant than precepts 
or any other instrument or way of disoipline. Precepts 



EXAMPLES THE BEST TEACHERS. 25 

are abstract, naked, powerless — witlioiit a hold on either 
the fancy, sense, or memory ; like the shadows of a pass- 
ing cloud, too subtle to make any great impression, or 
leave any remarkable footsteps. But example comes 
home with irresistible power and strikes out its likeness. 
Precepts are but a skeleton, dry, meagre, lifeless, exhibit- 
ing nothing of person, place, time, manner, or indivi- 
duality — things in which chiefly consist the flesh and 
blood, the colors and graces, the life, and soul, and idea- 
lity of both men and things. These are the very things 
that please, affect, and move us ; and example is their 
embodiment. It gives us the body in its full, and pro- 
per, and beauteous proportions, preserved amid trials 
and in spite of temptations — ^life as it is and must be, 
just in the same kind of world we now live — life in mov- 
ing tableaux — transforming a notional universality into 
the reality of individual existence. Precept is the man 
chiseled out, standing mute in the awful majesty of a 
statue of Praxiteles ; example is the man with the life- 
speaking eye, the grace of living motion, and the lips 
parted with instructive lessons. The most successful 
professors of arts and sciences explain, illustrate, and 
confirm their general rules and precepts by particular 
examples. Mathematicians demonstrate their theorems 
by schemes and diagrams ; orators Ijack their enthy- 
memes with inductions ; philosophers urge the reason 
and nature of things, and then throw themselves aback 
on the practice of Socrates, Zeno, and such like person- 
ages. Politics is more easily and clearly drawn out of 
veritable history than out of books De Rej)iMica. Plato, 



2g LECTURES ON DAXIEL. 

Xore, Sidney, and Harrington, had never dreamed their 
republics and commonwealths in the fairy land of Uto- 
pia if they had had the example of the United States of 
America in reality before them. Artificers describe mo- 
dels, and set patterns before their learners with greater suc- 
cess than if they merely delivered accurate rules and pre- 
cepts to them. A man can more readily learn to build by 
looking at and carefully examining the parts and frame 
of a well-contrived house while it is constructing, than 
he can by ever so studious an inquiry into the rules of 
architecture ; or he may learn to draw by setting a good 
picture before him, than by merely speculating upon the 
laws of perspective ; or to write fairly by imitating one 
good copy, than by listening to a thousand oral dii-ections. 
I^or is the case at all different when these principles are 
applied to morals. Seneca- says '' that the crowd of phi- 
losophers which followed Socrates derived more of their 
ethics from his manners than his words.*' 

It is said of Origen, the most learned man of his age, 
the author of a Hexapla — a man that employed seven 
amanuenses at once — '^ that he recommended religion 
more by his example than by all he wrote." One good 
example may represent more fully and clearly the nature 
of vii'tue than a thousand eloquent descriptions of it. It 
is good in God to give us food ; but it is a stiU higher 
proof of His benevolence to give us a taste for and a 
rehsh in oiii' food, so that we enjoy it. It is a proof, both 
of Divine wisdom and goodness, that we have a Eeve- 

* "Plus ex moribus. quam ex verbis Socratis traxit. — Ep. ii. 



VIRTUES ILLUSTEATED IN THE BIBLE. 27 

lation of the Divine will ; but it is still a higher proof of 
Supreme goodness that so much of the Divine will is 
given to us illustrated by examples. We have in the 
Bible examples of all the Christian virtues. Is it faith 
we have to acquire? Then we have but to look at 
Abraham. Is it wisdom, constancy, humility, and reso- 
lution ? Behold Moses. Is it zeal, patience, perseve- 
rance, and piety ? Then look at Peter, Paul, and John. 
Is it self-denial, courage, steadfastness, integrity, and 
devotion to high and ennobling principles of duty that 
we seek? Then we have only to study the histories 
of Joseph, John the Baptist, E'ehemiah, and Daniel. 

3. Good examples are powerful, because they per- 
suade and incline us to follow them by plausible author- 
ity. , That prudent, wise, and pious persons do any thing, 
is itself a very probable argument that we are under 
obligations to do the same thing ; and if we err, it is a 
great comfort to be found in such company. " "Will you," 
says the great Roman orator, " will you commemorate 
to me the examples of Scipio, and Cato, and Lelius, and 
say they did the same thing ? Though the thing dis- 
pleases me, yet I cannot withstand the authority of such 
men : their authority is so great, that it can cover even 
the suspicion of a fault."* 

In a w^ord, examples incite our passions and impel us 
to duty. They raise hope, influence courage, provoke 
emulation, urge up timidity, awaken curiosity, and affect 
the fancy, and set in motion all the springs of activity. 

* Cicero in Yerrem. 



28 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

The examples of the Bible instruct and warn, encourage, 
admonish, and comfort. Thej teach principles and 
duties. Thej show us what to believe and what to do, 
that we may inherit eternal life. 

It is by reading and studying the lives of those who 
have distinguished themselves above the rest of mankind, 
that we may both amuse and instruct ourselves. History 
has, therefore, done well in immortalizing those men who 
have, by their talents or genius, or by their enterprise 
and bene violence, done much for the well-being of their 
fellow-men. The Supreme Being sends into the world, 
from time to time, and in every age, men who distin- 
guish their day by eminent services done to their gene- 
ration and to posterity. The private and public lives of 
such men should be carefully treasured up, and perused 
with universal interest. God, of his goodness, has so 
constituted our world, that great benefactors to our race, 
though dead, continue to speak to us. Although all that 
is mortal of Daniel "Webster is gone to the grave, yet, in 
his own immortal words. He still lives ! 

But if biographical studies in general are thus greatly 
valuable, and especially to the yoimg, they become much 
more so when they are applied to the lives, characters, 
and principles of holy men, of divinely inspired men — 
such as prophets and apostles, and lives and characters 
written by them. Between ordinary biography and that 
of the Bible there is this remarkable distinction. In 
perusing the lives of eminent statesmen and warriors, or 
of those whose names have been celebrated in the paths 
of science, philosophy, or literature, we usually derive 



PATRIOTISM AND PRINCIPLES NOT PATENTED. 29 

all the benefit which they are calculated to confer, when 
we have thereby gained a better acquaintance with the 
varieties of human character and the springs of human 
action — when we have gathered some gleanings of infor- 
mation upon the subjects or modes of life, and splendid 
achievements with which they were most familiar, or for 
which they were renowned. "We do not seem to have 
the courage to make an application of their glorious 
deeds, and discoveries, and principles, to ourselves. "We 
never dream that we ourselves may, through their exam- 
ple and agency, become warriors, statesmen, artists, 
poets, philosophers, or philanthropists. We may ad- 
mire, and not attempt to imitate. It was therefore 
gratifying to see, in the remarks of Lord John Eussell in 
Scotland, and of Lord Brougham in England, on the 
death of Wellington, that they both took occasion to 
remind their countrymen, and particularly young men, 
that while Providence might deny to them the circum- 
stances that could make them heroes, like the great 
duke, still it was in their power to imitate him in the 
essential elements of all true greatness — purity of prin- 
ciple and fervent devotion to the welfare of his country. 
Integrity and patriotism are virtues not patented to any 
sect or age. It is greatly to be regretted that the duty 
of selecting the available virtues of the great should be 
so generally overlooked. But even were it otherwise, 
biography in general falls far short of Christian bio- 
graphy. When the faith, or the piety, or the benevo- 
lence, or the endurance of trials for the truth's sake, or 
the noble deeds of a disciple of Jesus is the object of our 



30 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

admiration, we ought not to rest satisfied with, yielding 
our esteem and approbation — we ought to follow in his 
footsteps, since our safety and happiness, as well as our 
duty to ourselres and our country, lie in the same path. 
Two ijnportant particulars are worthy of being men- 
tioned here and remembered ; namely, tJio^t the field is 
open to all, and that special dimne energy is jpi^omised to 
all that will trust in God, and walk in the way of his 
commandments. Each one of us is invited to walk in the 
same way of life in which the patriarchs, prophets, 
apostles, and martyrs have travelled home to God and 
glory. Each one of us is freely invited to come and take 
of the fountain of God's sanctifjing grace. God's word, 
moreover, warns us that all the by-paths of man's own 
devising communicate with the broad way that leadeth 
to destruction. 

Again, in studying Bible biographies, we should be 
careful to separate the peculiarities of individual char- 
acter and experience, and the exti'insic circumstances 
by which these may have been called into action, from 
the grand general outlines which characterize the whole 
family of the good and pious. In natural temperament 
and external circumstances there may be a great dis- 
tance between men of the same age, and much more 
between different ages and countries. But all the pious 
are new creatures in Christ Jesus. All the virtues, in 
every age, and under all circumstances, are alike in 
their adherence to truth and attachment to principle. In 
reading the lives of prophets and apostles, " holy men of 
old." and of eminent servants of God in modem times, 



GOD HELPS HUMAN EXERTION. 3I 

we must guard against sheltering ourselves in our own 
littleness, indolence, and impiety by saying to ourselves 
that if we had been endowed with equal talents, or had 
been placed in similar circumstances, we should have 
developed equal heroism, and have shone with equal 
light. It is not so. Circumstances aid great men, 'hut 
do not make them. On the contrary, great men make 
circumstances. They lay a contribution on every thing 
around them, and make it lie at their feet, obedient 
to their will. As there is no situation in life in which 
we may not serve God — ^no trial under which his grace 
cannot impart peace and strength to enable us to endure 
and conquer, so no circumstances can be found so fa- 
vorable to the development of genius or of piety, as that 
its rise or progress can be ascribed to mere chance or 
caprice, or to any other source than God's help in tjnison 

WITH HILMA]^ EFFORT. 

We must, then, guard against the excuse for our sloth, 
and for our low attainments in the knowledge of divine 
things, that we are not inspired as were the prophets and 
apostles. True, we are not, but the mere gift of inspi- 
ration was not always connected with saving grace. Saul 
was among the prophets, but did not yield the fruits of 
sincere obedience to God. Balaam prophesied, and was 
slain in battle by the people of God. Isaiah, and Paul, 
and John were eminently pious, not because they were 
inspired, but because they were partakers of divine 
grace ; and it is in their experience of pardoning mercy, 
and attainment of jpersonal holiness, and not in prophe- 
tic phrensy, that we are to be like them. True piety is 



32 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the same in all ages. There is but one Gospel, one Lord, 
one faith, one baptism. Christ is the essential figm-e of 
all time, past, and to come. Before the Incarnation, the 
pious looked forward to the coming of the Son of God ; 
since the Advent, the pious look back to Calvary, to the 
lifting up of the Son of Man. The Gospel is alike ad- 
dressed to the learned and to the unlearned — to the Sab- 
bath-school child and the believer of fourscore years — to 
the soldier on the tented plain, the operative in the mill, 
and the slave in the field — to the dwellers in palaces and 
the tenants of cottages. It is God's message of mercy 
and good- will to all men, of every tribe, kindred, tongue, 
people, and nation, under the whole heaven. Are the 
truths of God's word, then, precious to you, as they were 
to the servants of God in olden tinje ? The work of the 
Spirit is in every believer, a renewal of the whole man 
after the image of God, enabling him to die unto sin and 
to live unto righteousness. The varieties of individual 
characters produced by any outward circumstances are 
but the distinctions of time, and shall pass away when 
time shall be no more. It is of infinite moment, then, 
that Christ be formed in your heart, the hope of glory. 
There is no reason why you should not receive the 
grace of God — no reason why you should not be among 
the number of the faithful, who, having " turned many 
to righteousness, shall shine as the stars, for ever and 
ever." 

" When a man turns to the Lord," says an old Jewish 
writer, "he is like a fountain filled with living water, and 
rivers flow from him to men of all nations and tribes.'' 



YOU MUST BE FOUNTAIN MEN. 33 

It is just such men, my young brethren, you are called to 
be. Your age and your country call for fountain-men — 
men of deep original experience in the grace of faith and 
in the knowledge of God's Word. God has given you 
bodily constitution, health, and nerves, the education and 
the style of mind, and the social and political status in 
the world, which with fixity of thinking and sincerity in 
praying will make up such an aggregate of character as 
will be a blessing now, and an honor forever. Your 
country and your God require of you to be men like 
Joshua and Caleb, to whom the giants of Canaan — all 
the adversaries of truth — shall he hut as hread. We want 
men of large minds and warm hearts — men of sound 
understanding and of sincere faith ; then " shall our peace 
be like a river, and our righteousness like the waves of 
the sea." 

The development of character which we have to study 
in the biographies of the Bible speaks volumes of en- 
couragement and hope, warning and admonition. Like 
the pillar-cl^ud of the Hebrews, one side is bright and 
glory-revealing, while the other is dark and full of terror. 
The lives of God's servants tell us there is a beauty and 
excellence which the wicked do not prize nor seek to 
obtain — that there is a blessedness, both here and here- 
after, in which the ungodly have no interest ; tell us there 
is danger around the unbelieving and impenitent, doubt 
and darkness before them, while they are without the ark 
of safety or without the light of hope. But the lives of 
Old Testament worthies, and of all true Christians, speak 
to us also the language of encouragement. Tliey tell us 

3 



3^ LECTURES ON DAXIEL. 

there is forgiveness with God, that He may be feared— 
that the grace of God is sufficient for all the trials of life 
—and that Heaven makes amends for all the sorrows of 
earth. 



DANIEL'S PERSONAL HISTORY. 35 

LECTUEE n. 

DANIEL A TETJE BIBLE PKOPHET. 
On Dan., viii., 1-3 ; Ezek., xiv, 14, and xxviii., 3. 

Personal History of the Fropliet true. — Expositors of Daniel— The Scope and 
Definiteness of his Prophecies. — Sir Isaac Kewton a patient Student of his 
Writings. — Porphyry refuted. — Mysteries and Miracles no Objection. — Proofs 
of the Authenticity of the Book of Daniel— Daniel is its professed Author. — 
Monumental Proof. — The Book wos received by the Jews. — Josephus' Testi- 
mony. — Incidental Allusions, such as Mode of capital Punishment, reckoning 
of Ume, Style of Houses, Presence of Females at Festivals, personal Incidents, 
Food, Change of Name, and the Language of the Book itself. — Convenience 
of small Change. — Ready to give an Answer for your Hope. — Man's per- 
sonal Eesponsibility to God.—Ihe Atonement of the Bible Man's only Hope. 

Among the Hebrew prophets, Daniel's celebrity is next 
to that of Moses. There are none whose wisdom, and 
dexterity, and elevation, and influence have been more 
celebrated among the Jews. It would be as reasonable 
to deny the personal existence and reign of David or 
Solomon, as to deny either the personal history or extra- 
ordinary prophetic character of Daniel. Yet there are 
not wanting those who deny both. And this is the more 
remarkable when we consider the evidence in support of 
his personal history. There is no more reason to doubt 
that such a distinguished man, a Jewish exile, lived and 
flourished at Babylon during the captivity, than there is to 
doubt the existence of IsTebuchadnezzar himself. Indeed, 
as a mere matter of history, the proof in favor of Daniel 
is stronger than that in favor of N'ebuchadnezzar. Kone 
of the Greek historians mention such a king as ITebuchad- 



36 LECTURES ON DAXIEL. 

nezzar of Babylon. But surely this is not sufficient proof 
that there never was such a king. 

Kecent discoveries on the banks of the Euphrates, even 
if we set aside all traditions and all ancient history on 
the subject, have brought to light the absolute certainty 
of the existence of such a king as JSTebuchadnezzar, and 
that he lived and did just as the Bible says he did. The 
Jews have always considered Daniel as one of their 
greatest prophets. See Josephus, Antiq., lib. x. 

But the only authentic source whence we can learn the 
true history of Daniel is the book which bears his name. 
There are many apocryphal narratives respecting him, 
but they belong to a later period, and are not trustworthy. 
The simple profession of the author of the book before us, 
that he was Daniel^ a prophet in the Babylonish capti- 
vity, is prima fade proof that this is the fact. The omts 
probandi may be fairly thrown on those who deny it. 
How do we know that a monument pointed out to the 
traveler at Home is the arch of Titus ? The monument 
speaks for itself. It says it was erected in honor of Titns 
after his destruction of Jerusalem.^ The inscription it- 
self, standing on a public edifice, is proof of the fact it 
relates. And we know from history and tradition, and 
the nature of the monument itself, that it is both genuine 
and authentic. It is true, antiquarians are sometimes 
deceived. Inscriptions are sometimes forged. But this 

* The inscription on the arch of Titus : 
Senattjs. 

POPVLVSQVB. EOMAirvS. 

Drvo. Tito. Divi. Vespasiani. P. 

YESPASIAJfO. AUGUSTO 



AUTHORS.— PRINCIPLE OP GOD'S GOVERNMENT. 37 

proves the general principle of evidence which I insist 
upon to be true. " If," as Tregelles has vrell stated it, 
" ancient inscriptions had not been admitted as carrying 
with them mnch weight of evidence, forgeries wonld 
not have been attempted. The existence of counterfeit 
coins proves that coins in general pass current as genu- 
ine." You are aware that men of thorough acknow- 
ledged pietj and scholarship, such as Sir Isaac ]N"ewton, 
Bishop Eewton, Faber, and Calvin, devoted a considera- 
ble portion of the best part of their lives to the elucida- 
tion of the book of Daniel. The most recent works 
on this book that I am acquainted with are from the 
pens of the late Professor Stuart, of Andover, Dr. Gum- 
ming, of London,- Dr. Tregelles, of England, and the 
works of Professors Hengstenberg and Havernich, of 
Germany. I have named these authors, because, as 
many of you are blessed with a liberal education, you 
may be incHned to devote some portion of your time to 
mental and moral improvement by giving your attention 
to some of them. The late Moses Stuart's " Commentary 
on Daniel," Dr. Tregelles' " Defense of the Authenticity 
of the Book of Daniel," and Hengstenberg's " Genuine- 
ness of Daniel," leave but little more to be said on the 
authority of this book as a true part of the inspired 
Word. Hengstenberg and Stuart state and answer the 
objections that have been made to the authenticity of the 
book that seem to deserve refutation ; and Tregelles sets 
forth the arguments that establish the claims of the book 
of Daniel to its place in the blessed Yolume. All ex- 
positors of the Bible have testified to the excellence of 
the book of Daniel. In at least one point of view, it is 



38 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

regarded as one of the most interesting books of the 
whole Bible ; namely, as an exposition of the geeat pkin- 
ciPLES on which God governs the world, and as a running 
commentary in advance upon the history of things and 
nations that are now passing over the stage of time. This 
book comprehends so many events, and extends through 
so many successive ages, that it presents to us an astonish- 
ing proof of divine Providence and of divine Revelation. 
Who but the omniscient and omnipotent God could thus 
declare the things that shall be, with their times and their 
seasons ? Surely he who could thus foretell the dispensa- 
tions of Providence must have been an honest and truth- 
ful servant of Him, whose dominion is an everlasting 
dominion, and whose kingdom endureth from generation 
to generation. Sir Isaac IsTewton, " who explored the 
firmament with unwearied wing, and made an apocalypse 
of the stars," felt that he was sounding a greater depth, 
and rising to a loftier height, when he sat down a patient 
student of this book, to ascertain the mind and meaning 
of the spirit of God tlierein, and make it plain to less 
gifted souls, than whea engaged in his loftiest astro- 
nomical studies. There is no part of divine prophecy so 
definite, so reduced to facts and figures, as the book of 
Daniel. ISTo prophecy, if false, could, therefore, be more 
easily exposed. And yet there is no part of the divine 
"Volume that has given more trouble to the unbelieving 
Israelite and the skeptic than the prophecies of Daniel. 
The Israelite sees plainly that if Daniel's chronology be 
of God, then the Messiah must have come, and that it is 
in vain to look for another ; and the infidel only gets over 
the difficulty by denying that there is any divinity in tlie 



PORPHYRY REFUTED. 39 

Old or l^ew Testament. Genesis and Malachi, Matthew 
and Revelation are alike to him. He receives none of 
them as true, although he is not able to give any satisfac- 
tory solution of their origin, character, preservation, and 
influence. In the face of the most astonishing body of 
evidence that Jias ever been produced to prove any thing, 
in favor of the inspiration of the Scriptures, he sets them 
aside as fables and fictions without any authority. And 
in rejecting what God has said as unworthy of credence, 
he believes more than he is required to believe in receiv- 
ing the Bible as the Word of God. Infidels are, after 
all, the most superstitious and the most credulous. 

One of the earliest opponents of Daniel and of Chris- 
tianity was Porphyry, who saw so clearly the fulfillment 
of part of his prophecies, that he declared the book must 
have been written by some one who lived in the days of 
Antiochus Epiphanes — that is, that the prophecies, so 
called, are but narratives of events fulfilled. The answer 
to this is very simple and easy. The book of Daniel is 
found not only in the Hebrew Bible, just as we have 
Isaiah, Ezekiel, and the other prophecies and histories, 
dating back to the time when it is believed they were 
respectively written, but also in the Greek translation 
from the Hebrew, called the Septuagint, which was made 
and scattered throughout the Greek empire at least one- 
hundred years before Antiochus Epiphanes was born. 
Josephus and the whole Jewish nation are witnesses of 
this fact. 

If it should be said there are too many mysteries and 
miracles in this book, we answer, there are mysteries in 
it that we are not able to solve, nor shall we now attempt 



40 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

to explain. It is not my purpose, in the present course 
of Lectures, to enter upon any discussion of the prophe- 
cies of Daniel, but mainly to pursue the narrative, so far 
as it shall suit our design — which is, to present the pri- 
vate and public life of Daniel, as far as we can ascertain 
what it is, as a model for the young men of our age and 
country — taking also, as we proceed with it, such a survey 
of the monuments and histories of those times and countries 
as may elucidate the divine record, or serve to prove its 
genuineness and authenticity. The manifestations of Grod 
found in this book seem to have been necessary for the 
peculiar times and trials of his servants. The Jews were 
then in captivity, their temple was destroyed — their 
sacred rites, their sacrifices, and their ceremonies had 
ceased. Their priests and their Levites were gone. It 
would seem, therefore, natm-al to expect, when all the 
outward signs of their religion were thus removed, that 
God should ^manifest more of himself to them, in order 
to keep up the light of religion in the absence of its out- 
ward and visible ordinances. We may sum up some of 
the main points that prove the authenticity of the book of 
Daniel and set forth his claims to be considered as a true 
prophet, in the following order : 

1. The hook of Daniel was recewed as authentic hy the 
Jews hefore the coming of Christy and tefore the Macca- 
hean Age. Its place in the canon was never disputed by 
them. As it existed in the Hebrew Bible, so we find it 
translated with the other books of the Old Testament 
into Greek, by the learned Jews of Alexandria, about 
three hundred years before Christ. Accordingly, we 
have it in the Septuagint translation to tliis day. Jose- 



HEBREWS AND CHRISTIANS RECEIYE THIS BOOK. 41 

phus, the learned and distinguished Jewish historian, 
bears honorable testimony to the character of Daniel and 
the authenticity of this book. The point of his testimony 
whicli I cite relates to the authority of the book called 
the Prophecy of Daniel. Josephus, speaking of thi& 
book, says, " All these things did this man leave behind 
him, writing as God had showed to him ; so that those 
who read his prophecies, and see how they have been 
fulfilled, must be astonished at the honor conferred by 
God on Daniel." This is the testimony of the distin- 
guished Jewish historian, who was bitterly hostile to 
Christianity. In his antiquities, he shows how each pre- 
diction of Daniel had been fulfilled in regard to the 
Babylonian empire, and the Persian and the Medean. 
And if it be asked why he does not also speak of the ful- 
fillment of Daniel's prophecies concerning the last ofthe 
four great monarchies, we answer: Josephus was a ser- 
vant of the Poman empire, and he had not the courage 
to proclaim that Daniel's prophecies relating to Pome, 
the then existing empire, would be as certainly fulfilled 
as they had been concerning the three former empires. 

Again, 2. Jesus Christ and Sis apostles expressly re- 
fer to Daniel as one of the prcxpliets ofthe Old Testamient. 
In Matthew, xxiv. 15, the Saviour says : " When ye shall 
see the abomination of desoloMon^ spolcen of hy Daniel the 
prophet^ stand in the holy^^ &c. This allusion of our 
Lord proves that He and the Jews of his time regarded 
Daniel as a real prophet, just as they did Moses, and 
David, and the other prophets, and proves also that 
Daniel prophesied of the judgments of God upon Jerusa- 
lem and the Holy Land subsequent to the crucifixion of 



42 LECTURES ON DANIEL. . 

the Messiah. In like manner, there are allusions scat- 
tered through the ITew Testament which clearly point to 
events, and things, and expressions contained in the book 
of Daniel, though the prophet himself is not named. 

We find the apostle saying of some of the Old Testa 
ment hero saints, " By faith they stopped the mouths of 
lions," and " quenched the violence of fire." These are 
evidently allusions to Daniel's deliverance from the lion's 
den, and to the escape of his three friends, Shadrach, 
Meshach, and Abednego, who were thrown into the fiery 
furnace by iJ^Tebuchadnezzar, and had not even their 
garments singed by the fiame. These allusions to Daniel 
and his prophecy show that the book of Daniel was 
known to our Lord and his apostles, and received by 
them as inspired. 

Time at present does not allow me to dwell on these 
allusions. The most remarkable fact about them is, the 
wonderful harmony that runs through them and through 
the whole "Word of God. " You cannot touch, as it were 
(Dr. Gumming,) a note in Daniel, but all the apostles of 
the 'New Testament respond to it. You have noticed 
sometimes in a building, in a church or a hall, that if a 
certain note or tone be given by the speaker, the whole 
rouilding will instantly vibrate in harmony or in unison. 
In the same way, you cannot touch a truth in Daniel, 
but tones of harmony will burst from the lips of Paul and 
from the writings of Peter. The whole Bible is a grand 
harmony, revealing the mind, the will, and the glory ol 
God." 

3. Daniel's truthfulness as a writer is seen in the re- 
cord he has made of the capital punishments inflicted in 



KENTUCKIANS.— FIERY FURNACE. 43 

his time at Babylon. Casting into a heated furnace was 
a mode of practising cruelty known only to the Chal- 
deans; while casting into a den of wild beasts was a 
punishment peculiar to the Medes and Persians. In our 
age, the historian of Cuba does not say that the victims of 
some unfortunate attempt at revolution are bastinadoed, 
or put to death by the bowstring or the silken cord ; he 
does not speak of the mode of inflicting death in Turkey, 
Persia, China, or Japan ; but he does tell ns that Critten- 
den and his brave but ill-fated companions, who, like 
true Kentuckians, would kneel to none but God, were 
slaughtered by a file of soldiers with Spanish muskets, 
and that Lopez was put to death by the garote ml. This 
garoU mly I believe, is a refinement upon any thing 
known in Spain in the days of Columbus. It would, 
therefore, be a great mistake to say that any suspicious 
gentleman of Spain was put to death three hundred 
years ago by Spanish ofiS.cials as Lopez was at Havana. 
We have, therefore, a plain argument in favor of the 
truthfulness of the history of Daniel, that, in speaking of 
the infliction of capital punishment under the Chaldeans, 
he mentions that of the fiery furnace ; and when speaking 
of capital punishment under the Medo-Persian dynasty, 
he, without saying a word about the change, relates that 
it was performed after the national manner, namely, by 
casting into a den of lions. It were difficult to conceive 
a more striking proof of the simple straightforwardness of 
the writer, and of his perfect acquaintance with the man- 
ners and the customs of his age, than we have in the nar- 
rative. 

4. The method of reckoning years is also a proof that 



44 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the record before us is in perfect harmony with the age 
and country when and where it was made. Thus we 
read in chap. ii. : " In the second year of King ]N"ebu- 
chadnezzar." The writer then lived in the age and king- 
dom of Nebuchadnezzar. From the way in which a 
traveler speaks or writes of longitude, we can tell to 
what country he belongs. For as each country reckons 
longitude from its own meridian, so each traveler would 
allude to his own sovereign and meridian whenever 
occasion requires. An Englishman would reckon his 
longitude from Greenwich, under the reign of her Ma- 
jesty Victoria. A Frenchman reckons his longitude 
from Paris in the time of Louis ISTapoleon. An American 
says : In such a year of the Independence of the United 
States of America, and such a degree of longitude west 
from Washington, the star-spangled banner was planted 
on such a fortress or island. Thus, as the mode of reck- 
oning longitude, and the mention of the sovereign or 
government found in some distant shore or island, w^ould 
show the country to which the discoverer and writer 
belonged, so the allusion here made to the mode of reck- 
oning time shows that the narrative comes from the pen 
of one who was well acquainted with the habits and 
customs of the people among whom he lived, and of 
whom he wrote. Another proof of the same kind is 
found in ch. ii., v. 5, where the king commands their 
liouses to he made a dunghill. 

Now, if their houses had been built of stone or brick, 
or even of wood, as in this country, it would be difficult 
to see the propriety of such a decree. Eut when you 
remember that the houses of the Chaldeans, as also the 



THEER HOUSES.— FEMALES AT FEASTS. 45 

houses of the ancient Egyptians, were made of bricks of 
clay hardened in the sun, there is no difficulty in under- 
standing it. Such bricks might easily be dissolved by 
violent rains, and soon be reduced by moisture and rain 
to a pulp or mass of soft clay. Our Saviour refers to 
such houses in Matthew vii. 

5. The jpresence of females at the great festival of Bel- 
shazzar is another proof of the same kind in favor of the 
claims of this book. Such a statement made now, con- 
cerning a great festival of the Sultan of Constantinople, 
would be pronounced at once to be false. But the an- 
cients were not Moslems. The ancient Egyptians, Chal- 
deans, and Persians did not exclude their females from 
their feasts. Abundant proof to the contrary can be 
collected from history and monuments. Xenophon, the 
historian of Cyrus, says that it was a custom peculiar to 
Babylon, and unknown among subsequent nations. He 
was mistaken in part. Such a custom prevaijed among 
the Jews and Egyptians, as well as with the Chaldeans. 
Our record accords minutely with the actual peculiarities 
of the age and country concerning which it is made. 
Xenophon further corroborates the statements of Daniel 
about Belshazzar, for he tells us that the " last king of 
Babylon was cruel, cowardly, and voluptuous, who des- 
pised the Deity, and spent his time in riot and debauch- 
ery." This is precisely the character which Daniel gives 
to Belshazzar, who was the "last king of Babylon." 
And again, it is known that the Cyaxares of Xenophon is 
the same with the Darius of Daniel. The character is 
similar. Xenophon says he was weak, cruel, and pliable, 
yet furious in his anger, and tyrannical in the exercise of 



46 LECTURES ON DAITIEL. 

liis power. Tliis corresponds to his conduct as recorded 
by Daniel. He tells ns that, as king, he allowed his 
nohles to make laws for him which were unalterable, and 
afterward repented and endeavored to retract them. He 
casts Daniel into the den of lions for non-compliance 
with his orders, and then spends the whole night in 
lamentation and remorse at the consequences of his cru- 
elty. It is thus that we catch, sounding along the lapse 
of centuries, and from the ruins of Persepolis and Baby- 
lon, now being brought to light, echoes of the great 
original — proofs that the Prophet Daniel was truthful, 
both as a historian and as a foreteller of future events, 
and that, like the other holy men of old who wrote the 
Scriptures, he was moved thereto by the Holy Ghost. 

6. And we have still other similar proofs that Daniel is 
the author of this book, and that it is a truth-telhng book, 
and was written at the time assumed, and that he was a 
living participator in the events which he records. For 
example, it is here stated that the Hebrew youths were 
fed from the royal table. Is this fact sustained by the 
history of the Chaldeans ? Was there any such custom 
amono; them? It is alluded to here as a common and a 
well-known fact, just as an eye-witness would record a 
custom prevailing at the period when he lived. And in- 
quiry satisfies us that such a custom did prevail at that 
time among the Chaldeans and Persians, but that it was 
a custom peculiar to them, and common to no people be- 
sides. 

The CHAXGE of their names from Hebrew into Chaldee 
is another proof of the genuineness and authenticity of 
the book. This was in accordance with a custom imiver- 



CHANGE OF NAME.— LANGUAGE. 47 

sally prevalent among the Chaldeans. In 2 Chron., 
xxxvi., 4, we find the King of Babylon changing the 
name of Eliakim into Jehoiakim. See also 2 Kings, 
xxiv., IT. 

The fact stated is in harmony with the age ^nd the 
country in which it purports to have been penned. 

An argument, also, in favor of the authenticity and 
genuineness of the book is derived from the Icmguage in 
which it is written. The book of Daniel, as also the book 
of Ezra, was written partly in Hebrew and partly in 
Chaldee, a language that differs in its forms and struc- 
ture from the Hebrew about as much as the Italian or 
Spanish differs from the Latin. E'ow a historian of 
Italy, writing the history of his country two centuries 
ago, would contain allusions to passing events and things 
that had happened before, and would contain peculiari- 
ties of style belonging to the language of Italy at that 
time ; and if he lived at Florence, Bologna, or Naples, 
he would most likely betray the peculiarities of the lan- 
guage and customs prevailing where he resided. If a 
liberally educated man, he might refer to events in the 
past history of Asia, Greece, and Eome, but he could not 
allude to the electric telegraph, steam-ship, or the crown- 
ing of Louis IN'apoleon as Emperor of France. And so 
clearly are these things understood, that scholars can de- 
termine quite accurately where and when sl book was 
written by its style, allusions, and facts. So we find the 
internal evidence of the book of Daniel just what we 
have a right to expect. It is written in Hebrew and 
Chaldee, just such as a well-educated Hebrew, well ac- 
quainted with Chaldee, would use, and in just such Chal- 



48 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

dee as prevailed in his time on the banks of the Eu- 
phrates, but such as did not prevail before nor since, nor 
at any other place. This is precisely one of the argu- 
ments which prove the genuineness and authenticity of 
the 'New Testament ; namely, we find the language of 
Matthew, John, Peter, and Paul, just such as their his- 
tory would lead us to expect — a Syro Chaldaic Greek. 
The Greek of the Kew Testament is not the Greek of 
Homer nor of Xenophon, nor is it the Greek of Chrysos- 
tom nor Athanasius. The New Testament is written in 
the language that prevailed among the Jews in their own 
country in the age of the Caesars — a language that never 
prevailed before, and did not prevail after the destruc- 
tion of Jerusalem, and a language that never existed any 
where, as a living tongue, but in Judea — a language, 
which, indeed, none but Jews under Greek-Eoman em- 
perors would have used. There is, then, in this fact 
strong presumptive proof that the New Testament w^as 
written by the men, and at the time, and in the country 
that we claim for its authors, and that its authors were, 
as they profess to have been, inspired by the Holy Spi- 
rit to write as they did. The same argument avails for 
Daniel. 

Possibly there may be those who are saying in their 
hearts, you are dwelling too long on the introductory 
part of the series — we want to get at once to the dreams, 
and the image of gold, and the lions' den. Why prove 
to us what we already receive as true ? True, you be- 
lieve the Scriptures, and it is a great blessing that your 
minds are not tainted with the poison of infidelity. But 
there are many precious young men in all our cities who 



WHY PRO YE THE BOOK TRUE ? 49 

are not so fortunate as yon are in this respect. Tliey 
have not been so well educated, or have been thrown into 
unfavorable circumstances, or have been led astray by 
wicked companions. And even you will find yourselves 
sometimes in nests of Infidels, who will taunt, and jeer, 
and scofi" at the simplicity of those that believe in the 
Bible. Is it not well, then, to have you armed for such 
emergencies ? The boldness of our age, the exigencies 
of our times, demand thorough conviction of the truth of 
what we profess. It is both reasonable and scriptural 
that I should endeavor to make^you intelligent, and able 
to give a reason for the faith that is in you. As we can- 
not live this year upon the provisions consumed last 
year, so it is well to ply the mind and conscience day by 
day with evidences of spiritual realities. You may be 
convinced in your hearts — and nothing is so convincing 
that the Bible is really the Word of God, as an inward, 
experimental knowledge of its precious teachings applied 
to ourselves — and nothing is so well calculated to con- 
vince one of the truth of the Bible as the honest, prayer- 
ful, regular waiting upon a minister of the Gospel, who 
expounds divine truth from his own knowledge of its 
preciousness. But you will need as you go your way 
through the world, not only what will convince your own 
hearts that the Bible is from God, but you need to be so 
well rooted, and established, and furnished, that you may 
be able to convince others also. It is most important to 
have money with your banker ; but you will lose many 
little comforts and many solid advantages if you have 
not a little change in your pockets. I found, in traveling 
in the East, that the circular notes of odr countryman, 



50 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

banker in London (Mr. Peabody,) were generally, and 
among civilized people, even better than French or Bri- 
tish gold ; yet it was exceedingly convenient to be able 
to save ten per cent, commission and exchange from an 
Egyptian or Asiatic banker by having a little ready mo- 
ney on hand. So it is most important to have deep con- 
victions in your own soul — a bank of faith at communion 
seasons and in the solemn assemblies of Sabbath congre- 
gations ; but it is not less valuable, in this strange rail- 
road and lightning-speed world, and amid its multitudi- 
nous excitements, and an^id its strange mixture of society, 
to have a little ready argument which you can employ — a 
little mother wit, that you may answer therewith a fool 
according to his folly. Eeligion is not a thing to hang 
up at the church door or in an antiquarian hall, along 
with the armor of past ages. It is not to be left in the 
vestry as a clergyman does his gown, to be put on only on 
Sabbath. True religion is a cosmopolite. It is to be seen 
on our highways and in our market-places, and should be 
honored in our halls of science, commerce, and justice. 

In concluding this discourse, remember that the grand 
distinctive feature throughout the whole book of Daniel 
is to depress all that is human^ and unfold and lift up the 
glory of all that is divine. The great object seems every 
where to be to make man feel what the late Mr. Web- 
ster considered the greatest thought he ever had in his 
mind — man^s personal responsibility to God, It is regard- 
ed as an evidence of an able address to a jury by an 
attorney, that he lodges in their bosoms the conviction he 
desires for his client; so it is a good sermon that con- 
Torts the hearer — that places the creature in the dust, 



GREATEST THOUGHT.— GOD ALONE GBEAT. 5I 

and exalts God upon his throne. If, then, the book of 
Daniel humbles man, and exalts the Creator and the I^e- 
deemer of man, it must be in keeping with the Gospel of 
Christ. In reading the book of Daniel, we see kingdoms, 
and monarchs, and statesmen — their councils, their ar- 
mies, their gr^at men, their magnificence and glory, 
as the dust of the balance, and God alone is gkeat. 
Throughout the book we have these two grand ideas de- 
veloped ; man, even the mightiest of men, are poor, frail, 
short-lived, guiltj, miserable ; and God is wise, and good, 
omnipotent, supreme, and glorious. 

In this, as in every portion of the Word of God, we 
find great saving truths. " Amid the foliage of prophesy 
— amid the flowers of poetry — in the details of biogra- 
phy, and in the long annals of national or universal his- 
tory, truths profitable, or refreshing, or sanctifying to the 
soul, flash forth continually. God in providence never 
omits to feed the minutest insect in his provision for the 
greatest and the most important of created intelligen- 
ces."* In his Word there is living bread for the soul of 
the humblest, as well as warning, and instruction, and 
reproof, for kings, and presidents, and nations. In the 
pages of the prophets, as truly,- if not as fully as in the 
pages of the evangelists, such truths are written as unfold 
to us our true condition as sinners, and our hope of par- 
don and eternal life. The whole Bible is an intensely 
practical book. Christianity is an intensely practical 
thing. It is the one thing needful for all men. It is the 
great want of the human soul. It is not a dead, lifeless 

* Dr. Cumming's Preface to Daniel. 



52 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

body; but a IWing, earnest, expansive, heartfelt, pro- 
gressive thing. Man has sinned, and therefore he suf- 
fers. Sin has entered oar world, and death by sin. The 
conscience, intellect, and heart of man^ — all is morally 
diseased. The great question then is, How can we escape 
the consequence of sin ? This question the Bible answers 
promptly and fully. Jehovah laid upon His Son our ini- 
quities ; He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for 
us, that we might 'become the righteousness of Grod in 
Him. The moment man sinned Jesus stood between the 
living and the dead — He offered himself as a victiKi in 
our room and stead, and was accepted. Being without 
sin, and exempt from obligations of his own, he had a 
right to assume our place. We as sinners were without 
holiness and without strength. 'No man can save him- 
self. All the popes, bishops, prelates, poets, philosophers, 
and councils in Christendom can no more change the 
heart of man than they can create a fixed star, or soar to 
the sun. They can no more pay the price of human re- 
demption than they can create a universe. Yet it is true 
that the history of the world without God is nothing but 
a history of successive efforts and successive failures to 
regenerate and save itself without Christ. What are all 
the thousand smoking altars, and the ten thousand bleed- 
ing victims of heathenism, rude and refined, ancient and 
modern, but so many efforts of man to redeem and save 
his own soul ? What is Pantheism, but man's vain effort 
to regenerate man, and perfect his character and happi- 
ness without Christ? What are Popery and Puseyism 
but priestly and abortive efforts to regenerate man with- 
out Christ ? Aristides, Socrates, Plato, Alfred, and o' 



THINGS PAINFUL.— FRIESTS SPIES. 53 

names of the like character are not types of humanity. 
They are the exceptions to the general character and con- 
dition of our race — they are tlie few tall trees seen from 
a distance ; while beneath and around them we find here 
and there, and everywhere, the pestilential swamp, and 
all manner of vile and worthless things. The mass of 
terrible corruption which lies and festers in the mass of 
the heathen population of our globe may be estimated 
from the first chapter of Komans, and from the lanes, and 
alleys, and dens, and Bridewells, and Tombs of the large 
cities of the earth. The lower stratum of society is not 
a basket of flowers, but a terrible reality that calls for 
help. It were painful enough to see the ancient heathen 
worshiping Mars, a sort of cannibal, who drank the blood 
of his victims ; Mercury, who was a thief; and Jupiter, 
who was a monster. But it is more painful to see the de- 
pravity, corruption, and wretchedness of modern times — 
to see the Gospel, itself pure, precious and Godlike in all 
its influences, perverted and made the patron of cruelty 
and persecution — made to set up inquisitions for the 
murder of saints, for the plunder of widows, and its 
ministers spies of the police, through the Confessional, for 
the suppression of freedom and the enslavement of man- 
kind. It is more painful still to see youn^ men of the 
nineteenth century, enjoying the blessings of Christian- 
ity, surrounded and urged by every honorable induce- 
ment to noble conduct, throw away all their privileges, 
and destroy themselves by indolence or dissipation, or by 
following false principles. In the very outset of life, my 
young friends, you feel your need of religion ; yon feel 
your need of a guide and protector. Let this holy Yol- 



54 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

ume be your giude, and God your protector. The Gos- 
pel is not a mere directory nor rule — ^it is a prescri])tion 
also. It directs the living and healthy, and it also cures 
the diseased, and giyes life to the dead. Calvary is not 
a mere composite of Sinai. It is the spot on which the 
Son of man was lifted up, and the Son of God in human 
nature died — died for us ! God gave his Son for us. The 
great Eedeemer left the robes of majesty and beauty for 
the vile refuse garment that Pilate cast upon his shoulders. 
He left the admiration of angels for the execration of the 
mob. He exchanged a diadem of glory for a wreath of 
thorns — and why ? It was for us — that our ruined souls 
might be redeemed, and live forever with God and holy 
angels. 

It is not enough, then, that you are intelligent, and 
honest, and industrious, and high-minded — you must 
have a personal interest in the salvation of the Cross. 
Ton must receive Christ, and rest upon Him alone for 
salvation, as He is offered in the Gospel. The Gospel is 
the power of God unto salvation to every one that be- 
lieve th. And when it shall prevail over our globe, then 
there will be an end to all bitterness and pride, sectarian- 
ism, selfishness, and vain-glory — to all insubordination 
among subjects, and to all despotism on the part of rulers. 
The great rainbow of the covenant, that started from the 
cross and vaulted into the sky from Jerusalem, and now 
sweeps over the throne of Jehovah, shall complete its 
orbit, and rest again on the ground, and Christ shall reign 
supreme over all nations and people. It is for you now 
to choose the Lord's side and be found with his conquer- 
ing hosts, or by refusing to accept of his mercy, make 



CHRIST WILL COXQUER.— CHOOSE HIS SIDE. 55 

your everlasting destruction sure. The old year is gone 
and is now numbered with your earliest years. ^ Pas- 
sion's fervid hopes and fears for another year are gone. 

" The dream of youth is broken — 
Gone are the yoices once so sweet ; 
Priends too dear shall never meet — 
Treasm-es of the heart's young day, 
Yain delusions — pass away ; 

AU earthly things are flying." 

Heaven only is sure. Fly now to Cheist and live fok- 
EVEK. Amen. 

* Delivered at the beginning of the year 1853. 



56 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 



LECTURE m. 

DANIEL AS A MAN ^A MODEL. 

On Dan^ i. 

Affairs in Judea. — Shinar. — Three Carryings-away to Babylon. — Sketch of 
DanisVs History and Character. — Wliy refused King's Fare. — Benefits of 
early Education. — Ashpenaz a cunning Politician. — Melzarasharp Contract- 
or. — The Experiment. — Attainments of Daniel and his Friends. — A Model 
for his Intelligence^ high Bearing^ and Steadfastness in his Religion. — King's 
Eifforts to seduce him all fail. — Reflections. 1. Appreciate a good Educa- 
tion. — Lord Dartmouth. — Webster's Eulogy. 2. Duty of immediate personal 
Piety. — Solemn Questionings. 

Read verses 1-5. 

From 2 Kings, xxiii., 34-36, we learn that JehoiaMm 
was raised to the throne of Jndah by Pharaoh-lSTecho, 
King of Egypt. He continued tributary to Egypt three 
years, but in his fourth year, which was the first year of 
the reign of ITebuchadnezzar, a great battle was fought 
near the Euphrates between the Egyptian and Babylonian 
kings, and the Egyptian army was defeated. This victory 
placed all Syria under the Chaldean government ; and 
thus Jehoiakim, who had been tributary to Egypt, now 
became a vassal of the EJing of Babylon. See also, Jer., 
XXV., 1, and xlvi., 2 ; 2 Kings, xxiv., 1. 

After three years, the King of Judah rebelled against 
the King of Babylon, who came against Jerusalem, and 
besieged and took it, as soon as his engagements with 
other wars allowed him to direct 'his attention to Jewish 
affairs. The land of Shinar was the ancient name of 



TREASURES— DANIEL'S AGE. 57 

Babylon. And hrought the vessels into the treasures of 
his god. His god was Bel, the tutelar guardian of the 
Babylonish empire. To carry away the richest and finest 
vessels of the temple of a conquered people was a com- 
mon custom among conquerors. What, however, was 
necessary to carry on the w^orship of Jehovah, he left. 
Tlie King of Babylon did not attempt to alter the civil or 
religious constitution of the land. He left Jehoiakim on 
the throne, and the religion of his God in His temple. 
He only laid the land under tribute. 

The Chaldeans carried away the vessels of the Lord's 
house three different times. 1. In the w^ar spoken of in 
the text. 2. In the taking of Jerusalem, a few months 
after. — See 2 Kings, xxiv., 13. 3. Eleven years after this, 
when Zedekiah was king in Jerusalem, and when the 
temple and city were destroyed. 2 Eangs, xxv., 8-15. 

Among the captives of the children of Israel we find 
Daniel and his three friends. They were of the Jcing'^s 
seed amjd of the princes. Various opinions have been ex- 
pressed as to Daniel's age when he was carried to Baby- 
lon. The term applied to him and his friends (DH^*.) 
means boys, lads, or youths. We are in the habit, after 
the manner of the Apocrypha, of speaking of the three 
Hebrew children^ but without any authority. The term 
should be considered as signifying young men, in this 
place. Ignatius thinks Daniel was twelve years of age 
when he was carried to Babylon. Chrysostom says he was 
eighteen. Tliese and similar statements of the Fathers 
are but guesses. They are probably, however, near the 
truth. Daniel and his friends were given in charge to 
Ashpenaz, the master courtier of the Chaldean conqueror. 



58 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

to be fed and educated, so that in time tliej might be- 
come personal waiters and attendants of the monarch. 
It is known that it was the usual custom of Oriental 
monarchs to prepare for themselves active and sprightly 
waiters from the highest classes of society, and that these 
waiters were usually put in training at about fourteen 
years of age. The history also renders it probable that 
Daniel was of regal descent, of the royal family of David. 
You perceive that he and his thi-ee fiiends are said, in the 
3d verse, to have been " of the king's seed and of the 
princes." They were drawn from the upper classes of 
society at Jerusalem, and retained in Babylon as hostages^ 
to secure the quiet and submission of the Jewish king 
and his nobles in their tributary condition. Daniel's 
good education, fine intelligence, amiability of manners, 
his knowledge of his own language and nation, and the 
rapidity with which he acquired a knowledge of the 
Chaldee tongue and customs, soon rendered him a person 
of distinction at court. When, by the interpretation of 
the king's dream, he is raised to be the head of the Magi, 
and of all the learned men in the kingdom, he does not 
forget his old friends, nor despise the religion of his 
fathers. He had nothing of the spirit of jealousy and 
self-exaltation. He made his friends participators in the 
honors and emoluments that he gained by being placed 
over the Magi and astrologers of Babylon. He has, 
moreover, perpetuated the memory of his fr'iends as 
among the noblest of martyrs for truth that stand record- 
ed on the pages of sacred history. The history which he 
has given of his three pious and distinguished companions 



THE WRITING ON THE WALL. 59 

in the 3d chapter consigns them to the heartfelt applause 
and perpetual remembrance and admiration of mankind. 
A second dream of the king is the occasion of his being 
again raised to honor, which he seems to have retained 
dm'ing the interregnum. 'Next we find Belshazzar on 
the throne, and, in the midst of his Bacchanalian tumult, 
heathenish impiety, and contempt, he is alarmed by the 
mysterious hand- writing on the wall ; and when his Magi 
and astrologers were summoned in vain to give him the 
interpretation, his mother tells him what Daniel had 
done in the days of Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel is forth- 
with sent for, and large promises of reward are made 
to him, in case he should read and explain the writing on 
the Wall. He did so ; and the explanation was, that the 
death of the king, and the extinction of his dynasty, was 
near at hand. And in that very night Cyrus made him- 
self master of the city, and the king was slain. Belshaz- 
zar, however, complied with his promise. Daniel was 
clothed with most costly decorations, and made the third 
ruler in the kingdom. But this honor lasted only an 
hour. The prophet's elevation was followed by the fall 
of the kingdom, the king's death, and the extinction of 
his dynasty. Darius the Mede now assumed the throne 
of Babylon ; and Daniel's talents and honors so disturbed 
his companions, that they succeeded in having him cast 
into the lions' den for his steadfastness in his religion. 
Jehovah did not forsake his servant, but sent his angel 
to heep Daniel in safety, even among the hungry lions. 
When the king discovers this, he takes Daniel out and 
casts his persecutors into the den, and they were instantly 
torn in pieces. Of his visions I shall not here speak. 



60 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

He lived to be upwards of eighty-four years of age. 
And, as his name is not found among those Jews who 
returned to Palestine after the proclamation of Cyrus, it 
is probable that his age, and perhaps his office, prevented 
him from leaving Babylon. He probably died in Chal- 
dea. His tomb, it is said, has been discovered at 
Shushan. Never was there raised up a truer patriot, a 
warmer and more faithful and constant friend than 
Daniel. His visions close with kind and comforting as- 
surances. It has been beautifully suggested that this 
was appropriate. He needed them. Hjs life had been 
one of care and labor, study and prayer. His bosom had 
beat so high and so long with patriotic and devotional 
feeling, that now, when the liberation of his countrymen 
was at hand, it was very trying for him to bear up under 
the future miseries and vexations which, as a prophet, he 
saw were coming on his nation. It was fitting, therefore, 
that his last days should be cheered with strong faith 
and personal assurance of Divine favor. Daniel's char- 
acter is pre-eminently worthy of our attention. His life 
was not only conspicuous, but singular and difficult. A 
Hebrew — a Hebrew prophet — and yet prime minister at 
a heathen court, which then governed the world ; and yet 
never did he fail in his duties, either as a statesman or as 
a true disciple of Moses. Amid all the luxury, and 
splendor, and honors of the Babylonish court, he pre- 
served an incorruptible integrity and spirituality of 
character. The length of time that he acted as prime 
minister of state is proof of the ability and fidelity with 
which he discharged the duties of his high station. The 
whole of his life presents in high relief the fearlessness of 



DANIEL PRIME MINISTER. Ql 

his spirit and the fervor of his heart. He ever cherished 
humble views of himself, but the warmest emotions of 
patriotism toward his country. "What is more pathetic 
and powerful than his intercessions in behalf of his suf- 
fering countrymen! What more heroic than his ever 
life-long simple obedience to and trust in his. God ! Such 
is a summary of the life and character of Daniel, the 
prime minister, and the prophet of Jehovah. I desire 
you to take him as a model. He is eminently worthy of 
your profound study and earnest efforts. 
Head from the eighth to the sixteenth verse. 
Why did he firmly refuse to eat of the king's meat oi* 
drink of the king's wine ? The temptation to do so was 
certainly very strong. Did he refuse because it was sin- 
ful in itself to eat meat and drink wine, or to eat and 
drink with a king ? Did he refuse because he had no 
taste for meat and wine, like other young men ? His re- 
fusal was doubtless for other reasons. 

1. The Chaldeans probably ate such unclean beasts as 
hares, swine, and the like animals, which were not lawful 
for a Jew to eat. 2. The Chaldeans, as the heathen 
generally did, and do still, probably ate animals which 
had been strangled, or not properly cleansed of their 
blood. According to the law of Moses, a Jew could not 
eat of such flesh. 3. It was a heathen custom to offer the 
animals that were eaten first as victims to their gods. 
Among the Eomans these oblations were called libamina. 
The provisions then set apart for Daniel and his friends, 
coming from the king's table after this dedication to idols, 
were to be looked upon as offerings to heathen deities, 
and could not, therefore, be eaten by them, either as 



62 LECTURES OX DAN"IEL. 

Jews or as ■worshipers of the only true God. The case 
was plain. The King of Babylon was in the habit of doing 
just what is equivalent to our "asking a blessing at 
table." And in " saying his grace," he took a portion of 
his food and of his wine and offered them to his idol be- 
fore he tasted it himself. This offering consecrated the 
whole of his subsistence to his god. Daniel and his 
friends could not participate in such worship to idols. 
They could not thus deny their country and the religion 
of their parents. They were prepared to run all hazards, 
rather than appear to compromise themselves with hea- 
thenism. In our yelvet and morphine .churches and 
latitudinarian age, it may seem difficult to decide the 
coui-se of action. In flying from Charybdis we fear to 
fall upon Scylla. But Daniel did not hesitate. He could 
not comply with the wishes of the great king, for, by so 
doing, he should offend his God. But will he not offend 
so mighty a monarch, whose servant, captive, and slave 
he is, and give up all hope of advancement, for the sake 
of his religion ? And might he not excuse himself by 
saying, this has an air of exclusiveness and of self-right- 
eous arrogance about it — I do not like to set myself up 
as too good to eat of the king's provisions ? But it was 
not thus Daniel reasoned. The case seems scarcely to 
have admitted of debate in his mind. He jpuiyosed in 
his hea/rt that he would not defile himself loith the portion 
of the "king's meat^ nor with the wine which he dranh. 
Young, high-minded, sensitive, and well bred as these He- 
brew youths were, they shrunk not from the task, odious 
as it seemed to be, of adhering with imwavering stead- 
fastness to their religion. Daniel was the leader in this 



IMPERISHABLENESS OF EARLY TEACHING. 63 

matter ; and God had given him peculiar fitness for the 
trial" (yerse 9.) Their conscientious scruples were sup- 
ported by their education, and the favor of the God whom 
thej served. The result would have been very different 
if these young men had not received a religious education. 
But, happily for them, they had not been brought up in 
public " godless " schools, where there was no regard for 
God, and none for his Word. They had not been edu- 
cated in such schools as the Socialists and Infidels of our 
day would establish, where Pantheism and Atheism are 
either taught directly, or allowed to occupy the young 
mind by withholding from it the knowledge of the true 
God. On the contrary, they had been brought up — 
though in a wicked, apostate age of their country-^still 
they had been brought up at their fathers' home to a 
knowledge of the God of Abraham, and the writings of 
Moses . and the early prophets. Their early education 
was, under God, the means of their preservation. " The 
deep engraving of truth upon the heart of the yoang is 
never altogether effaced. Those impressions of divine 
truth that are made on our hearts in youth often emerge 
in after years with all the freshness and the beauty of 
yesterday ! Silenced they may be, overshadowed they 
may be, but they are rarely extinguished.'* — Dr. Gum- 
ming. 

The goodness of God is seen in their education, and in 
bringing to bear upon its impressions such a train of cir- 
cumstances as brought forth its fruit. The characters of 
Ashpenaz and Melzar, and their respective conditions, 
concur in allowing an experiment that resulted trium- 
phantly. 



Q4: LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

Daniel, seeing at once the necessity of action, deter- 
mines to follow the plainest, strictest, most honest, bold- 
est mode of proceeding, as, in the end, the safest and the 
best. He goes, therefore, at once to head-quarters, to 
Ashpenaz, who has already conceived favorable impres- 
sions of him. The answer of this high functionary is both 
kind and cautious. It amounts to this, that he would 
willingly grant his request, if he could ; but he was afraid 
to do so. He was appointed by the king to take care of 
these youths, and to prepare them for his service in a 
given time. The king had also appointed the fare, and, 
if the result desired was not attained, his head was in 
peril, and especially if it should appear that the failure 
was owing to his not having strictly obeyed orders. 
Daniel at once saw how the matter stood. He saw that 
Ashpenaz was an old politician. This great man, like 
many of his successors in high places, was willing enough 
to share any advantage that might accrue from disobedi- 
ence of orders, but not willing to take the responsibility. 
He would wink at any thing a subordinate might do in 
the matter, who chose to risk his head. Daniel goes 
next, therefore, to Mehar, who was either the master of 
the boarding-house where the young men were serv^ed, 
or he was an officer under Ashpenaz, whose duty it was 
to attend to the food, clothing, &c., of the royal captives. 
As in Turkish seraglios, so it seems to have been the 
custom at Babylon, that every three or four lads should 
have one eunuch to take care of them ; and Daniel, now 
understanding how the matter stood, makes his address 
accordingly. He proposed they should make an experi- 
ment of ten days, and, if they did not look worse, then 



PECULATION.— CHALDEE LEARNING. 66 

the experiment was to be continiied. To tliis Melzar 
consented. One reason of his consenting, no doubt, was, 
that he could keep the young men on pulse and water 
cheaper than on such fare as the king provided, and he 
could abstract and sell the king's portions sent to the 
young Hebrews, and thereby drive a profitable specula- 
tion ; for it is to be observed, they did not demand to be 
fed on Hebrew luxuries, such as they might have used 
without doing violence to their religious scruples. They 
only asked for the simplest, cheapest, and most easily- 
prepared diet. And the result of the experiment was 
triumphant. See 15th and 16th verses. Pulse means 
grain, such as barley, wheat, rye, peas. 

A vegetable diet may have been healthful, and have 
had a tendency to produce a fine complexion and pleasant 
countenance ; yet, as this spare diet was chosen from con- 
scientious scruples, no doubt God gave them his special 
blessing. They were sincere and faithful in their ad- 
herence to religious principle, and God rewarded them. 
They became not only more handsome than the other 
lads, but grew more comely than they themselves had 
been before ; and in the examination at the end of the 
days^ {i. e., of the three years,) they are found fit to stand 
before the king. It seems, from verses 18-21, that of all 
the noble captives from different nations, only four were 
wanted to stand before the king, and that Daniel and his 
companions were found ten times better than all the ma- 
gicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. 

The learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans. The 

Chaldeans were then more renowned for learning and 

wisdom than the Egyptians. In three years Daniel be- 

5 



QQ LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

came as celebrated in the Clialdeaii court for his know- 
ledge of their science and literature as for his deep piety. 
Even in his own lifetime his reputation for wisdom be- 
came a proverb. Thou are wiser than Daniel. Ezekiel 
and Daniel are ranked with E'oah and Job for exemplary 
conduct. Daniel's, writings give abundant evidence of 
his scholarship. His style is pure and correct. He wrote 
in Hebrew, where he delivers to us a bare narrative of 
events ; but in Chaldee, where he relates the conversa- 
tions which he had with the wise men and the kings. 
]^ebuchadnezzar's edict, after Daniel had interpreted his 
dream concerning the great metallic image, is given in 
Chaldee. It is probable that the ancients knew more 
than we are in the habit of ascribing to them. However 
this may be, Daniel, being a Hebrew, was brought up to 
a knowledge of the arts, customs, laws, and religion of 
his nation. With him science was associated with reli- 
gion, and the more he knew of science and literature, of 
men and things, under the control of religion, the greater 
were his advantages of gaining influence. And so it 
should ever be. Learning should be the handmaid of 
devotion. The spoils of Egypt should beautify the temple 
of Salem. 

Another feature of Daniel's circumstances at this time, 
that makes his steadfastness to his country and his coun- 
try's God the more worthy of perpetual remembrance, is, 
that he was of noble, if not of royal birth. 

He was of the royal tribe of Judah. It is true, not 
many mighty, not many noble are called, but some are. 
Piety has friends among the friends of science and learn- 
ing. Some men of the highest rank and the most gigantic 



SOME XOBLE.— i;VHY NAMES CHANGED. Q^ 

intellect liave been and are sincere believers in the Gospel. 
The prophets of the Old Testament and the apostles of the 
ISTew Testament were of different callings and rank in 
society. David was a shepherd-boy ; Isaiah and Daniel 
were of the royal tribe ; Amos was a herdsman ; Zecha- 
riah, a captive from Babylon ; Elisha was a plowman ; 
Matthew was a fisherman ; Luke a physician ; and Paul 
a learned man. There is a sense in which rank and 
wealth, power and station, do not affect the value of the 
soul. In the Gospel, every soul is regarded as of trans- 
cendent worth ; still, it is true that some men are in posi- 
tions that render their piety of more value to the world 
than others. ' 

The King of Babylon desired to detach Daniel from his 
Hebrew associations, and to unteach him his Christianity, 
and for this purpose he not only required him to eat from 
his table, but changed his name. The good education 
and family religion of Daniel and his three friends were 
sadly in the way of the king's purpose. He had to pull 
down a noble structure before he could begin to build. 
He had to root out what tradition and parental training 
had implanted, before he could hope to make them 
heathens like himself. Each of their names had "God" 
in it, and thus their names served to remind them of their 
religion, and, at the same time, doubtlessly annoyed the 
king. He had strong reasons, therefore, for changing 
their names; and, profiting by their example, he gave 
them names that were either merely civil and social, or 
contained an allusion actually idolatrous. Collateral his- 
tory proves that such a custom did prevail in ancient 
Babylon. 



gg LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

The change of names was a mark of dominion and au- 
thority. It was customary for masters to give new names 
to their slaves. The same custom prevailed in Egypt ; 
and all know that then, as now, rulers, on ascending the 
throne or coming into power, often assume a name dif- 
ferent from what they had before. 

Daniel signifies God is my Judge. Changed into Belte- 
shazzar, which means, the Treasure of Bel ; or, the De- 
pository of the Secrets of Bel. 

Hananiah signifies the Lord has been gracious to me ; 
or, he to whom the Lord is gracious. Changed into 
Shadrax:K a Chaldee word, which has been variously 
understood. The chief meanino-s attached to it are : The 
Inspiration of the Sun ; the God who is the author of evil, 
be propitious to us ; let God be propitious to us, and pre- 
serve us from evil. 

Mishael^ one that comes from God. Changed into 
Chaldee, MeshacJi^ which means one that belongs to the 
goddess Sheshac, a celebrated deity among the Chaldeans, 
mentioned by Jeremiah, xxv., 26. 

Azariah signifies the Lord is my helper. This was 
changed into Abednego^ which means the servant of 
iS ego, who was one of their divinities ; which was the 
Chaldee name for the sun, or the morning star. 

As the king did not like their religion, he sought, by 
heathenizing their names, to heathenize their hearts. 

It may be true, as the poet says, that " A rose by any 
other name would smell as sweet" — ^still there is much in 
a name. A happy soubriquet may make a president. 
Abstractedly and logically, there may be nothing in the 
names we give to our children, but practically it is of im- 



IMPORTANCE OF A CHRISTIAN EDUCATION. 69 

portance to give them such names, and to apply to them, 
as they are growing up, such epithets, as may bring to 
their minds high and noble examples, and give them 
worthy associations. 

The king was delighted with Daniel's scholarship, but 
not with his religion. He would have Daniel's good face 
and deep science in his court, but not his piety. And so 
it is now with many people. They hear, like Herod, 
gladly, but do not obey. They are pleased with the 
Gospel, but do not bring forth fruits meet for repentance. 
They like Christianity for its decencies, but do not like 
the urgency of repentance. 

In changing the young Hebrews' names, the king, 
however, as we have seen, did not yet get rid of their reli- 
gion. Their creed and character remained the same. It 
is true, they seem not to have resisted their new appel- 
latives. They quietly submitted to be called by heathen 
names, because this was a matter they could not control. 
And so Christians have in all ages patiently submitted to 
the reproach of the world, and have borne them joyfully. 
There are several great ^rincvples raised from the history 
of Daniel and his companions, which I shall reserve for 
the next discourse, accommodating the history before us 

to the DUTY AND MEAN'S OF SELF-IMPKOVEMENT, and apply it 

to the design of the young men's Christian Association, 
at whose request and in whose behalf it will, God per- 
mitting, be delivered. 

With two reflections I close : 

I. From the example before us, we should learn to 
appreciate a Christian education. These young men of 
the best families of Jerusalem were brought up to know 



'j'Q LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

and serve the God of their fathers. And they did not 
disgrace their education. As they had been carefully 
brought up in the institutions of Moses, so they continued 
to regulate their conduct by them, even in the court of 
a heathen king, where they were prisoners and slaves. 
They were not ashamed to acknowledge their principles. 
An incident of Lord Dartmouth is related that is worthy 
of being remembered by young men from home. You 
know that one of our E'ew England colleges is named 
after him. He gave a large sum of money to endow it. 
A fine picture of him still graces one of its halls. He 
was a young English nobleman, rich, and handsome, and 
accomplished ; but he had something far better than all 
these things. He was sincerely pious ; " he loved and 
honored his Saviour ; and although, at the time when he 
lived, it was the fashion to mock at serious things, he was 
never ashamed of his rehgion. The king and some noble- 
men agreed, on one occasion, to take an early morning 
ride. They waited a few minutes for Lord Dartmouth. On 
his arrival, one of the company seemed disposed to call him 
to account for his tardiness. ^ I have learned to icait 
u])on the King of Mugs lefore I loait iijpon my earthly 
sovereign^ was Lord DartmoutNs answer. No matter 
what he had to do^ or vjho loanted him^ reading the Bible 
and secret ^prayer vaere duties which he never jyut off.'''' 
Eemember his example, and be faithful to God, as he 
was. 

Mr. Webster, in closing a beautiful eulogy upon a 
young gentleman of the bar, who had recently died, said : 
" Gentlemen, and he did what I fear many of us have 
not done — he achieved a religious character." 



REVIEW OF THE YEAR. 71 

II. The other point that I would have you seriously 
consider is the duty of being pious now. Responsibility 
and eternity stand connected with the flight of time. 
Our present life gives coloring to our whole future eter- 
nity. Like a mighty river, time flows on noiselessly in 
its course, and we approach nearer and nearer to the 
judgment-seat. 

" 'Tis greatly wise to talk witn our past hours, 
And ask them what account they bore to heaven." 

Many of your days are past— your days of infancy, of 
childhood, and early youth. Many days of instruction, 
too, are past. Days when God's voice was heard — days 
of conviction, when His Spirit strove with you — when 
your companions united with the Church — days, too, of 
judgment, when His arm was stretched out to you in 
affliction and warning — and what has been the result ? 
Has your instruction produced conviction, and your con- 
viction resulted in conversion ? Have you come to Christ 
as a poor sinner, and received forgiveness ? The weeks, 
months, and Sabbaths of another year are gone ! "What 
is the net result or gain to your soul of all your past 
years ? Does your heart — does the closet, the family, the 
Church — your every sphere of duty, show that you have 
been doers of the Word, and not hearers only 1 During 
the past year, some of you have had days of prosperity — 
when new relationships were formed, and new schemes of 
business were brought to maturity, and new hopes were 
fulfilled. These days are gone, and their remembrance 
is now like a pleasing vision. But were the causes and 
ineasures of your prosperity such as God approves ? Did 



fj2 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

holj angels sympathize with you in your pleasures and 
pursuits ? 

Perhaps, my dear friend, your review of the past year 
is filled with sorrows. You may have had stroke upon 
stroke. Days of pain, of losses, of bereavement, of dis- 
appointment, may have filled up the year. Well, they 
too are gone, and will return no more. And did the 
Saviour support you by his power? cheer you with his 
promise ? animate you by his own bright example and 
glorious victories ? Then are you prepared to bless Him 
for the days of your sorrow. Then you are living in the 
cheerful expectation that the day will soon come when 
it shall be found that your trials and sorrows were the 
seeds of an abundant harvest of joy. Or is the storm 
still beating upon you? Are the heavens still dark 
around you ? Then, while you humble yourself under 
the mighty hand of God, He will exalt you in due time. 
Ask of the days that are past where happiness is to be 
found. Time past is a chronicle and an oracle. Look 
into this chronicle and see, ask this oracle and know. Is 
sin profitable ? Is there a single instance of one, regis- 
tered in the hoary chronicles of the past, who hardened 
himself against his God and prospered ? Hark ! The an- 
swer is prompt and unequivocal, " The way of transgressors 
is hard.'' " The wages of sin is death." Millions of the 
votaries of fashion, of the slaves of Mammon, and of the 
worshipers of Fame, have tried to find happiness apart 
from God, but all have failed. It is a delusion to seek 
happiness in the things of the world. It is a scheme of 
the Evil One to allure souls down to eternal death. But 
does the oracle and chronicler of the mighty past show 



THE FUTURE FORETOLD. 73 

auglit against the goodness of God ? Nothing. Xot a 
syllable. Ko sincere penitent lias ever been repulsed — 
no true mourner was ever sent away without comfort- 
no praying soul rejected — no trusting believer forsaken. 
MarC s manner of life describes his character^ and fore 
tells his end. Young man, immortal you are — you must 
live when time is dead. Answer, then, in the sight of 
God and in prospect of eternity, What is your course 
of life ? on what is your heart set ? about what have you 
been most anxious ? What do you labor most to possess ? 
Which has been esteemed most in your estimation — the 
favor of God and the pardon of sin, or the pleasures 
of this world and the possession of riches ? By your 
souVs preference and pursuit is your state for eternity to 
he judged. Answer these questions honestly to yourselves, 
and let not time's oracle speak in vain. Pray, then, 
with the pious poet : 

" Teach me, thou sacred Power, 
Every pulse, and every hour, 
At Thy hallowed cross to lie, • 
On Thy promise to relyl" 



74 LBOTUKES ON DANIEL. 



LECTUKE lY. 

PEINCIPLES AND LESSONS FROM THE ETJPHEATES.* 
On Dan. L 

Yowfig Men^s Christian Association : its Subjects. — Bangers of Young Men in 
Cities. — Lessons from the Euphrates to the Mississippi. — Young Hebrews in 
Exile at Babylon teaching young Men from home at New Orleans : 1. To ad- 
here to right Frinciples. 2. That a Man is no Loser for maintaining right 
Principles. — True Expediency. — Use of Public Lecturing. 3. Decided, avoived 

' religious Principles. — General Cass's Testimony. — Tru£ Piety eminently 
Social. — Regular Church-going. 

The Rev. Dr. Scott read the first chapter of Daniel, and 
then said : 

Respected Heareks, — The vigilance of the Argus-eyed 
daily j)i'i^ts of the city have already informed you of the 
formation of the " ISTew Orleans Young Men's Christian 
Association," and that it is, moreover, at their request 
that I have the honor of delivering before you this even- 
ing their opening address, which, I am happy to be in- 
formed, is to be followed by addresses from other gen- 
tlemen of acknowledged eloquence and ability. I have 
read the first chapter of Daniel in the introductory portion 
of the services this evening, for two reasons : 1st, because 
Daniel is the subject of a series of discourses to young 
men now in the course of delivery from this pulpit on 

* Delivered as the opening address before the Young Men's Christian 
Association of New Orleans, Sunday evening, January 16, 1853. Published 
by the unanimous request of the Association. The occasion of this Lecture 
will explain how it is that there are some repetitions of ideas found in the 
preceding. 



SOLICITUDE FOR YOUNG MEN. 75 

Sabbath evenings, and it were desirable not to interrupt 
wholly this series. 2dly, because, if I were at perfect 
liberty to select from the whole Bible, I do not know that 
I could find any other portion more suggestive of appro- 
priate reflections for the opening address of this laudable 
Association. The first article of the constitution declares 
that the object of this Association "is the mental, moral, 
and religious improvement of young men." " We aim," 
say they in their address to the public, " so far as is in 
our power, to counteract bad example, to throw around 
our young men an elevating moral influence, and, by so 
doing, to cherish their earlier religious and moral im- 
pressions, and thus continually incite them to diligence 
in well-doing." 

The duty^ nature, and means of self-improvement and 
of mutual protection against the perils of a city life is, 
therefore, the theme which I shall attempt to illustrate 
from the example of Daniel and his friends in Babylon, 
and apply to the condition of young men in our large 
towns and cities, and to the design of this association. 
And, 

I. As to the sicbjects of this Association. — They are 
young men, upon whom are concentrated the hopes and 
prayers of the good and patriotic throughout the land. 
ITo man who looks understandingly at the interests of 
mankind, in families, cities, churches, or states, can fail 
to see that the enlightened, liberal, and Christian educa- 
tion of the young is the fountain-head of their well-being. 
The testimony of many of the ablest and best men of our 
age and of all past ages, the sorrowful confessions of many 
mourning parents, as well as my own deep convictions on 



76 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the subject, have made me believe that a large portion of 
Christian effort should be directed toward the right moral 
training of the young. And there are but few cities in 
the world where the importance of the virtuous character 
of young men is a subject of greater and more wide- 
spread interest than in this city. This is apparent at 
once from the greatness of their number among us, and 
from the commercial importance and relative position of 
this city to our country and the world. 

Under this conviction, I may be excused in saying that 
I have felt it to be my duty and privilege to give my 
Sabbath evenings, during the winter and spring season, 
for more, than ten years past, to the delivery of discourses 
to young men. 

The pious Baxter says that in Kidderminster, England, 
where Grod most blessed his labors, " my first and great- 
est success was upon the youth. And when God, in a 
most marvelous way of divine mercy, had touched the 
hearts of young men and girls with a love of goodness 
and delightful obedience to the truth, the parents and 
grandparents, who had grown old in an ignorant, worldly 
state, did many of them fall into a liking and love of 
piety, induced by the love of their children, whom they 
perceived to be made by it much wiser and better, and 
more dutiful to them." (Works, vol. xv., p. 299.) 

But aside from a merely religious view of the subject, 
no one that has passed through the trials of early life, 
especially away from home, and remembers its hopes and 
fears, its discouragements and success, its joys and sor- 
rows, can think of young men coming to a strange city 
and entering on the same field of action, of struggle, of 



TRIALS OF EARLY LIFE. 77 

success or disappointment, as thej did, without the deep- 
est sympathy. 

The young men, Mr. President and gentlemen of this 
Association, whom you seek to reach with your kind 
offices, are not the ordinary and common youth of the 
country. Those that forego the joys of home, and the 
cheering hearth of the paternal roof, and enter into the 
fierce struggles of city life, are the more excitable, the 
more ambitious, more able and determined youth of the 
country ;'^ and their danger in a great city, where they 
must meet with great excitements and sensual allure- 
ments is in proportion to their own excitable and ambi- 
tious temperament. While the less enterprising are con- 
tent to remain at home and grow old under the trees of 
their native village, or within sight of the village steeple, 
the more bold and ambitious seek to make their way 
abroad to honor and wealth. And as soon as they enter 
a great city, they encounter the competition of the most 
ambitious and hardy spirits of an enterprising country, 
who have got positions in the field before them. The 
rapacity of the avaricious, the temptations of the plea- 
sure-offering seductions, the insolence of the proud and 
successful, and the indifference of the heartless, make the 
world they enter into very different from the one they 
have left at home. Eemoved far from parental coun- 
sels and the sweet influence of brothers and sisters, they 
are plunged at once into a mass of human beings who 
know them not, and care only to know them so far as 

* See this point beautifully and strongly presented in Mr, Daniel Lord's 
address before the Young Men's Christian Association in New York. 



/j'g LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

their own selfisli i3iu'poses may be served by tlieir ac- 
quaintance. It is such young men jour noble Associa- 
tion proposes to take bj the hand, and point to a suitable 
boardino--house, and a reading-room and Christian associ- 
ates, whose examples may keep alive in them the inner 
life they have brought from home, but which is in dan- 
ger of being smothered to death by the threatening 
masses of a great city, where a sense of personal identity 
and responsibility may be so easily lost. And when 
your kindness has given them a table and a pillow, 
friends and books, and a place to worship their God, you 
propose to help them to honorable employment. In the 
fierce competition of mercantile and professional life you 
have the best opportunities of knowing where situations 
are to be had, and by your acquaintance with young 
men seekiog employment, vnR be able to point out to 
them such situations as they are fitted to fill ; and thus 
you may do very great service both to heads of business 
houses and to the young men themselves. 

n. The duty of self-improvement is apparent from the 
faculties, gifts, and opportunities bestowed upon us by 
our Creator, and from the duties required of us ; and the 
duty of mutual assistance in the work of " mental, moral, 
and religious improvement" is obvious from our social 
and dependent nature, from the constitution of society, 
and from the express teachings of our holy religion. This 
part of our theme there is not, however, time to dwell 
upon. The means for accomplishing the objects of this 
Association call for more extended remarks. The end in 
view by you, young gentlemen, is substantially the same 
that was desired and gained by Daniel and his compan- 



THE TOUXG HEBREWS AN" EXAMPLE. 79 

ions, namely, honor and happiness. What, then, did 
they do which you may imitate ? 

1, They scrupulously maintained the moral and reli- 
gious principles that had been imparted to them in their 
earlier education. They made a supreme regard for the 
will of God their rule of conduct, even in little things. 
Daniel and his three friends seem to have entered the 
capital and palace of the proud heathen king, who was 
the great ISTapoleon of his day, just as many young men 
enter our cities, with full purpose of heart to preserve 
their integrity, and to keep their soul undefiled from the 
various temptations which, in such a place as Babylon, 
there was every reason to fear would assail them. They 
probably thought on these things as they were marched 
over the weary sand deserts from Jerusalem to the Eu- 
phrates, and reckoned beforehand that they should have 
to bear hard treatment from their superiors, and the 
sneers, the shrugs, and taunts of their less pious compa- 
nions — things that fall keenly upon the raw sensitiveness 
of youthful spirits ; but they made up their minds that, 
let it cost what it might, their religion they would not 
abandon. , And soon their trial came. They were placed 
in circumstances of great peril to their principles by their 
heathen conqueror. The strength of their attachment to 
the religion of their earlier youth was put to the severest 
test. But when tried, they were found to be pure gold ; 
and their triumph proves that a pious education is one of 
the greatest blessings that can be bestowed upon youth. 
If you, young men, have received such an education, be 
profoundly thankful for it. Thank God every day of 
your lives for Christian and intelligent parents, who have 



80 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

secured to jou a liberal education, and endeavor to ap- 
preciate its advantages by nsing them for jour own hap- 
piness, and the good of jour fellow-men. You need not 
be told of the degradation and wretchedness of ignorance 
and depravitj. You need not be told that the infant 
generation of to-daj are the adult generation of to-mor- 
row, and that what we make our children the next gene- 
ration will be. The first lessons a child receives from a 
mother's tones and smiles are the last to fade from the 
memorj. The lessons of divine truth taught at school 
maj be silenced for a season, or overborne b j the noise of 
the busj world without, jet there will come an hour 
when these earlj lessons will revive as if touched bj 
some living influence, that makes quite distinct and 
fresh what was for a time invisible. The lessons Daniel 
had learned in his childhood home in Jerusalem were the 
lessons that sustained him against temptation, and guided 
and comforted him while a captive in Babjlon. 

The King of Babjlon tried bj all means in his power 
to remove all the religious impressions of these joung 
men, and to make them adopt his religion. He did not 
on this occasion trj to root out their principles and im- 
plant his own bj persecutiag them, as if the tormenting 
of the bodj could convert the soul. He tried a more 
rational plan. He treated them well, gave them portions 
from his table ; he changed their names, hoping b j thus 
erasing the name of their God, and suppljing that of his 
own, to make them forget their earlj lessons and associ- 
ations, but he failed. Their principles were too strongly 
rooted. Thej remained steadfast. The refusal of these 
joung Hebrews to eat and drink of the rojal portion was 



PEINCIPLES.— TRUE LIBERALITY. 3I 

not grounded upon any mere fancj or whim, but on the 

most substantial reasons. The animals eaten were either 
such as were unclean according to Hebrew law, or were 
killed in such a way that the law of Moses forbade the 
Jews to eat of them ; or, which alone was a sufficient 
reason for declining, the king's meat and wine had been 
dedicated to his idols, and could not, therefore, be used 
by these pious Hebrews without compromitting them 
with heathenism. E"or were they over righteous in this 
firm but courteous refusal. I^Tor were they narrow and 
bigoted sectarians. They were liberal Christians, but 
not latitudinarians. The Bible and the very nature of 
the human mind command us to be liberal, but forbid us 
to be latitudinarian. True liberality of sentiment and 
largeness of soul are the attributes of strength and con- 
viction of one's own mind. But latitudinarianism gives 
up essential foundation principles, and says there is no 
difference between right and wrong — ^that it is equally a 
matter of indifference what a man believes, or whether he 
believes any thing at all. Dr. Gumming, of London, on 
this part of Daniel's life, says : "We cannot be too liberal 
in conceding to a brother the largest husks of his pre- 
judices; we cannot be too strict in refusing to com- 
promise the least living seed of vital and essential truth." 
(See his Lectures on Daniel.) 

It is true that it was not in itself sinful to eat meat and 
drink wine ; nor was it sinful to eat meat and drink wine 
with a king ; but it was sinful for Hebrews to eat and 
drink in honor of idols. There are, however, not wanting 
those who say these young men were at liberty to do in 

Babylon as Babylon did. In London, Kome, or Kew 

6 



82 LECTUKES ON DANIEL. 

Orleans, young men must do as those around them do. 
Such a plea cannot be maintained with seriousness. Duty- 
is not a thing of latitude and longitude. It is the same 
thing every where. Conscience and God are the same 
in Paris or Constantinople, as in your JSTew England or 
Scottish homes. Polar snows or tropical flowers cannot 
change the eternal principles of rectitude. God's laws, 
the will of the Supreme Creator, is the only standard of 
duty. This was the rule adopted by the pious Hebrew 
captives. To eat and drink of the royal bounty was in 
itself nothing ; but as by so doing they would be con- 
sidered as sympathizing with idolatry, and as having 
denied the religion of their parents, of their country, and 
iheir God, they refused, and were prepared to run all 
hazards rather than comply. They chose to live on pulse 
and water, the least nutritious of the elements of nature, 
rather than the dainties of the royal table ,' because they 
thought, and thought correctly, that a good conscience 
and the smiles of the God of heaven were of more im- 
portance than the patronage of the mightiest king that 
ever swayed an earthly sceptre. 

It was not the mere concession of a prejudice, not the 
mere giving up of some little matters of denominational 
detail ; but the surrender of principle, compromise of 
truth, apostacy from the true religion, that they were 
required to submit to. And the lesson taught us is of 
vast importance. It is that we must not sacrifice con- 
science, with its awful requirements, to any temporary or 
worldly convenience. "We #iust not stifle its deep con- 
victions to gain any temporary and evanescent advantage. 
We must not give up an article of our creed to gain a 



IMPORTANCE OP A GOOD CHARACTER. 83 

place. It is better to die of starvation than gain a val- 
uable living by the sacrifice of the soul. It is a light 
thing to be judged of man, for He that judgeth us is God. 
Our Lord has said, " He that is faithful in a little is 
faithful also in much ; and he that is unjust in a little is 
unjust also in much." The bearing of the history of the 
Hebrew youths, and of this Scripture text on our every- 
day life, is palpable, even among those who do not pro- 
fess to be Christians. A young man of talents and 
business capacity may destroy all his prospects for honor- 
able success in life by small derelictions. Dead flies will 
destroy the largest pot of the most precious ointment. The 
want of moral character will mar the prospects of the most 
gifted. Without stern integrity in little things, there is a 
want of confidence which is fatal to success. A most per- 
nicious delusion prevails with many good people. They 
are waiting until they can do some great thing, and 
think that if a great crisis were to come, they would then 
have nerve to meet it, and do something triumphant. 
They cannot find, at present, a place large enough for the 
discharge of their duties. Because they cannot go as 
foreign missionaries, they will not labor in the Sabbath- 
school at home. As there is no romance in gathering in 
the poor and ragged to the house of God to be taught the 
way of virtue and godliness, they will do nothing. In- 
stead of quietly laying one brick upon the earth, they are 
constantly building castles in the air; instead of dis- 
charging the plain every-day duty which they owe to 
God and their fellow-men, they pass life in looking for 
some grand occasion for the display of their virtues. 
They vainly think that, though they live not as useful 



34 LECTTJEES OX DANIEL. 

Christians, jet, if the crisis were to come, they Tvould die 
as martyrs. Thej are mistaken. With them the crisis 
has come, and thej have failed to meet it. They have 
failed to take the tide in human affairs that rolls on to 
the fortune of duties well done. The little things that 
are usually the turning-points of character, they have not 
apprehended. They have not learned that events which 
seem at first frivolous and unimportant, may become the 
" Thermopylae of a Christian's conflict, the Marathon of a 
nation's heing, or the turning-point of everlasting life or 
of everlasting death." The dazzling exploits of the great 
are too frequently ascribed to circumstances, and set 
down as something wholly beyond our reach, because we 
have not the same emergencies to bring us ont. Al- 
though Providence may deny to you such circumstances 
as might concur in making you exactly like the great 
heroes of the world, still, in the essential elements of 
greatness — in purity of principle, industry and perse- 
verance, and in life-long, fervent devotion to the welfare 
of their country, you may be like them. Integrity and 
patriotism are not patented to any sect, age, or nation. 
It is greatly to be regretted that young men sometimes 
copy the single vice of a great man, without attempting 
to imitate his many vii-tues. They are like the filthy 
birds of prey that fly over a whole continent of healthful 
beauties to light on one carcass. Their only resemblance 
to the great man they profess to admire is the one blemish 
that constituted his weakness. They can drink gin like 
Lord Byron, and so can an idiot or a clown ; but are not 
worthy to unloose his shoe-latchet as to genius and intel- 
lect, energy, chivalry, and noble bearing. 



FILTHY BIRDS.— PRINCIPLES PARAMOUNT. 85 

The point with Daniel was to follow his conscience or 
his appetite ; to cease to be an Israelite, or cease to be a 
favorite of the great King of Babylon. And his deter- 
mination was soon made to make every thing give way 
to his religion. He would not let his religion bow to the 
world, but made the world bow to his religion. 

2. The next lesson which the Euphrates sends to the 
Mississippi, and reads to us from the early life of Baby- 
lon's vizier or prime-minister and his friends is, that a 
man is no loser for maintaining right priiicijples. The 
three years of training are ended. The high court of 
learning is held in Babylon. There are the treasures of 
the world. There are assembled the nobles, grandees, 
and sages of the kingdom. The king himself presides. 
And now the chief of the eunuchs introduces to the royal 
presence these four Hebrew youths. How fair, well 
formed, and intelligent they look ! Minute, and search- 
ing, and repeated examination convinces the king that 
they are ten times wiser than his magicians and astro- 
logers. And while only four are to be chosen out of all 
the captives that had been fed and instructed in know- 
ledge and languages for the royal use, these Hebrews are 
the four chosen ones. An interesting story is told in 
Esdras, one of the Apocryphal books — which was extant 
before the time of Josephus, for he quotes largely from it 
— of the mental contests of these youths, which, as an 
illustration of this Oriental custom, is worthy of being 
read. The examination of the four Hebrews presents a 
noble example of the success of prudence, temperance, 
and a steady regard to religion. These young men did 
not think, because they were well born and liberally 



gg LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

educated, that they might therefore indulge their appetites 
without control. On the contrary, with heroic steadfast- 
ness they made the will of God, even in little things, their 
rule of conduct. And what was the result. Did Daniel 
lose any good thing by his firm adherence to principle ? 
ISTot at all. The very reverse was the result. Daniel's 
faithfulness to his conscience, his allegiance to his God, 
his courteous but firm refusal to do what was sinful, was 
turned to his advantage, even in this world. Upon ex- 
amination, the Hebrew youths were found, at the end of 
the three years, to have become more comely than they 
were before, and to be ten times more comely, fatter, and 
fairer than any of the other captive young men who had 
lived upon the royal bounty ; and in all matters of know- 
ledge and skill they were many times wiser than all the 
astrologers and magicians in the kingdom. Them that 
honor God^ He honors. The result of their faithfulness 
to God was their promotion in the palace, and the favor 
of the king. What, then, is the true principle of ex- 
pediency for young men? We answer. True jprincijple is 
true exj)ediency. Duty is the way of peace and promo- 
tion. Seeh ye first the Icingdom of God and his righteous- 
ness^ and oil other things will he added unto you. The 
success of these young men was owing to their good 
education, and the blessing of God upon their education 
and their own efforts. Josephus says of them, that " by 
the diet they took, they had their minds in some measure 
more pure and less burdened, and so fit for learning, and 
had their bodies in better condition for hard labor ; for 
their bodies were not oppressed by a variety of meats, nor 
effeminate for the same reason, so they readily amassed 



RATIONALE OF THEIR SUCCESS. 8T 

all the learning of the Hebrews and the Chaldeans.'' It 
is true, proverbially true, that he who striveth for the 
mastery must be temperate in all things. Temperance is 
highly favorable both to health and virtue, by keeping the 
faculties clear and strong, and in fitting men for great 
services, and the endurance of great sufferings. 

The great commanders and the great scholars of the 
world have been remarkable, while young men, for tem- 
perance in eating and drinking, l^othing more effec- 
tually blasts the prospects of a young man than the soul- 
destroying sin of intemperance. The explanation, how- 
ever, of the Jewish historian of the wonderful pheno- 
menon does not give the whole rationale of the experi- 
ment made by these young Hebrews. God gave them 
favor with the king and his court, and God gave them 
skill and wisdom ; yet God gave his favor to them in the 
most diligent use of the best means, and in the use of 
the best means according to His will. They were blessed 
in doing all they could themselves. God helps those that 
help themselves. 

It is reasonable for young men to ask God for help in 
mental as well as in spiritual efforts. He is the father of 
the Spirit as well as the maker of the body. In the toil 
and business of life, and amid all its perplexing difficulties, 
cast yourself, therefore, upon the Lord's protection, and 
look to Him for counsel and guidance. It is easy for Him 
to "illumine what in you is dark." It is an old saying, 
that to pray earnestly is to study well. Many difficulties 
that seem insuperable would be smoothed, many blessed 
thoughts might be suggested, many desirable things for- 
gotten be brought to mind again, many annoyances 



88 LECTUKES ON DANIEL. 

buried, many weak purposes strengthened, if we trusted 
more to God, and looked more confidently to Him for 
His blessing upon our earnest endeavors to know and do 
His will. 

Josephus's solution of the wonderful improvement in 
his young countrymen at Babylon reminds us of many 
modern philosophers, who find God nowhere. In the 
plague, or pestilence, or epidemic, in wars or revolutions, 
in the facts and phenomena of science, history, creation, 
or providence, or even in the miracles of Holy Scripture, 
they see nothing but something they call laws. Their 
stereotyped explanation for every thing is, " such is the 
law of E'ature." And what is I^ature, and what are JS'a- 
ture's laws, without a Creator ? The laws of l^ature are 
nothing but the impressions of the ineffable Mind that 
created and governs all things made visible, or, at least, 
rendered palpable by their effects. I am persuaded, 
therefore, that the objects of this Association will be all 
the more readily and surely attained, as they may be 
sought by imitating Bible heroes, such as Joseph and 
Daniel ; and as they may be pursued in obedience to the 
Divine will, as revealed to us by the prophets and apos- 
tles, holy men of old, who wrote the Scriptures as they 
were moved thereto by the Holy Spirit. 

III. Let us, then, briefly examine in this light the ob- 
jects of this Association. 

One object is the social improvement and protection to 
those of your own age who grow up here, or come among 
you from a distance. The propriety of such an associa- 
tion for such an object is suggested at once from the 
acknowledged power of society and of united efforts, 



OBJECTS OF THIS ASSOCIATION. S9 

especially over those who are allied to one another by a 
similarity of enjoyments, tastes, wants, temptations, and 
dangers. Your object is also conservative, that is, the 
preservation of your more inexperienced brethren from 
the impositions and perils incident to a residence in a 
great and luxurious city. You seek to do for them here 
what their parents and friends have done for them in their 
distant homes and earlier years. Your object is also 
elevating. You propose to have a reading-room, and 
journals and books for the use of those young men who 
may be associated with you. You design to supply the 
hours of relaxation with employments that will both 
amuse and improve, by affording opportunities of con- 
versation with those of your own age and pursuits, and 
for hearing instructive lectures from men of approved 
talent and sentiment. 

You need not be told that public lecturings are now 
one of the chief means of enlightening the world. There 
never was a period in the history of the world when the 
public mind w^as so much occupied with printed and oral 
lectures as it is now. Lectures in Europe and in this 
country are now delivered on all sorts of subjects and by 
all kinds of individuals, from English lords and French 
peers to American husbands' better halves. Dull, trashy, 
flimsy, skeletonized, and superficial as many of the lec- 
tures imposed upon a patient public are, still, the great 
thinkers of our times, and the standard-bearers of civiliza- 
tion in past ages, have been, in the best sense of the term, 
lecturers. !Not a few professional lecturers have made 
fortunes by their discourses. It is a strange but interest- 
ing feature of our generation, that lecturing is almost as 



90 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

good a profession as that of a great vocalist, and fre- 
quently far better than the law or medicine. In Europe, 
the men who " stand upon the forehead of the coming age 
are lectui'ers." The Dlatform is more mighty than the 
University, for it is a cosmopolitan college, without test 
oaths, and almost without money and price. The best 
scholars and most influential men of the country have 
perfected their education in the lecture-room. The print- 
ing-press, the Protean, ubiquitous, daily newspaper press, 
public schools, and public lecturing from the platform 
and the pulpit, and from the professors of our law and 
medical schools, are the great educators of our age. It 
were, therefore, exceedingly desirable for you to secure a 
controlling influence in these great agencies. The Young 
Men's Christian Association of London have had each 
year, for a number of seasons, a regular course of lectures 
before them by some of the most distinguished men of 
Great Britain. The same course is pursued by the as- 
sociation in 'New York. Men of science are no longer 
shut up in their laboratories or observatories, or conflned 
to their classes in the University. They now seek op- 
portunities for imparting the knowledge of their dis- 
coveries or the results of their experiments and investiga- 
tions to the public. Our age is truly remarkable for 
popularizing literature, science, and art. The rapidity 
iwith which winged words grow into facts, and with which 
the results of the profoundest theory and the most patient 
and thorough experiments are applied to popular use, is 
most astonishing. Yoices that move senates, and control 
courts, and sway assembled masses of the "fierce de- 
mocratic," are now heard imparting reason and argument, 



UELIGIOUS PRmCIPLES IN SOCIAL LIFE. 91 

and the results of life-long study and experience, to the 
multitudes who, in the best days of the classic ages, were 
considered the " unwashed and profane," who were shut 
out from all sympathy with the truths of philosophy and 
the blessings of knowledge, and doomed forever to be 
hewers of wood and drawers of water. These delusions 
have passed away forever. 

Your object is also religious — ^not, indeed, to proselyte 
or fill the mind with dead sectarian dogmas, but to 
encourage one another in firm adherence to religious 
principles, and, by your own example of a pure and holy 
life, preach the most powerful sermons in favor of the 
ways of heavenly wisdom. The object of this Association 
is not religious, in the cold sense of schoolmen and theo- 
logians, but religious as to the bearings of pure Chris- 
tianity upon social life. It is manifestly a perversion of 
the Bible to make it enjoin or sanction a hermit life, as 
it is also a failure as to self-cultivation. The highest 
piety has not been found in the professed secret commu- 
nion of the heart with its Maker on the tops of mountains 
and pillars, and in the caves and deserts of the earth. 
The highest piety does not consist in deserting the ordi- 
nary commerce of men, for fear of its distractions, con- 
taminations, and dangers, but in meeting them, and 
maintaining one's principles immaculate. 

I rejoice that you have incorporated with "mental and 
moral" the term " religious improvement ;" for I am per- 
suaded that every plan of social improvement, or social 
enjoyment and usefulness, not resting on the basis of 
religious principle, will be uncertain both as to its final 
tendencies and as to its permanency. JSTothing but a 



92 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

sense of a personal religious accountability can give life 
to any sclieme of human advancement. With earnest- 
ness, an aged senator (Mr. Cass,) at Washington, said, in 
his place, a few days since : 

" I am free to confess, sir, that for myself, I rejoice at 
the occasion thus given to us, while pleading for the full 
toleration of religion, to bear our testimony on its price- 
less value. Independent of its connection with the hu- 
man destiny hereafter, I believe the fate of republican 
governments is indissolubly bound up with the fate of 
the Christian religion, and that a people who reject its 
holy faith will find themselves the slaves of their own 
evil passions, and of arbitrary power. And I am' free to 
acknowledge that I do not see altogether without anxiety 
some of the signs which are shadowed forth around us. 

" A weak and sublimating imagination with some, and 
irregular passions with others, are producing founders 
and followers of strange doctrines, whose tendencies it is 
easier to perceive than it is to account for their ^origin 
and progress. But they will find their career and 'their 
remedy, not in legislation, but in a sound religious opin- 
ion, whether they inculcate an appeal to God by means 
of stocks and stones, and rappings — the latest and the 
most ridiculous experiment upon human credulity — 
or whether they seek to pervert the Scriptures to the 
purposes of their own libidinous passions, by destroying 
that safeguard of religion and social order, the institution 
of marriage, and, by leading lives of unrestricted inter- 
course, thus making proselytes to a miserable imposture, 
unworthy of our nature, by the temptations of unbridled 
lust. 



PIETY NOT A GOWN NOR REGIMENTAL. 93 

"This same trial was made in Germany some three 
centuries ago, in a period of strange abominations, and 
failed. And it will fail here. Where the Word of God 
is free to all, no snch yile doctrine can permanently 
establish itself." 

There is no preaching like a kind and social example, 
no argument so effective as the exhibition of religious 
character in the vicissitudes of every-day life. One great 
reason of the failure of Christianity in not producing the 
effects desired upon Christendom is, that its practical 
nature is not acted out in the life of professed Christians. 
They do not constrain the world by the social contact and 
the free and warm intercourse of a loving heart. 

True religion is not a cold, austere, forbidding, mere 
psalm-singing, long-faced thing. It is not a mere Sunday 
dress, to be hung up in the vestry, as the clergyman does 
his gown, all the rest of the week. On the contrary, it 
is a thing of life, a " thing of beauty which is a joy for- 
ever." It is full of motion, grace, and unction. It holds 
no parley with vice. It requires severe and persevering 
piety, but it is intensely practical and eminently social in 
all its bearings. Instead of being a mere catalogue of hard 
names and dry propositions, it is a vital and diffusive 
spirit. It mingles itself not only with the inner life, but 
sanctifies every action of the outer life. It applies its 
holy teachings to all our relations, personal, domestic, and 
public. It is by intimate and vivid associations with 
men of like passions with themselves, and of like dangers, 
who, amid the furor of passions and the imminency of 
dangers, exhibit the simplicity and earnestness of Chris- 
tianity, that its power is to be clearly seen. 



94: LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

The Bible does not tolerate a lukewarm, lopsided, 
segmental Cliristianitj ; but a deep, equable, and ever- 
flowing, circumferential, whole-bodied, whole-hearted 
piety, a piety that is in strong sym]3athy with our indi- 
viduality in this up-and-down world, that seizes the soul 
and fastens upon it the great vitalized convictions of 
truth, as it flowed from the lips of the Divine Saviour, 
and carries them out into the parlor and the highways of 
life. The bearing of the examples in hand upon you, 
young men, is palpable. You should seek such places of 
residence, and such associates, and give attendance upon 
such ministers of the Gospel, as will most effectually 
assist you in maintaining correct religious principles. 

You must choose for yourselves your church, and your 
associates, and your business ; but I urge you to choose 
such as will be consistent with what your conscience tells 
you to do. Join yourselves to some Christian congre- 
gation. Be regular and punctual in your attendance 
upon the pulpit instruction of some servant of God. The 
benefits you may derive by so doing are manifold. Such 
a course would keep you out of the way of many temp- 
tations, and would fortify yom* principles and increase 
yom' respectability. Enter into no business where you 
are required to violate your conscience. Engage in no 
business where it seems to be necessary to violate the 
Sabbath, or to neglect the public preaching of God's 
Word. If the issue is made, a continuance in such and 
such business, and a good living, or the sacrifice of 
Christian duties, you must not hesitate. God is to be 
obeyed rather than man. Duty is ours, and God will 
take care of the consequences. Is^othing is plainer, from 



ATTEND CHURCH.— FOLLOW DUTY. 95 

the highest testimony and observation on the course of 
things, as well as on the philosophy of the physical con- 
stitution of men and of animals, than that by sacrificing 
your Sabbaths you will, in the end, be losers, even in a 
temporal point of view. There has yet to be produced a 
single instance in which true Christian principle has not 
been found the highest expediency. 

The Bible vade inecum for young men is, " Fear God 
and keep his commandments." Make religion the great 
thing of your hearts and lives, and all the rest will fol- 
low in its place. " True godliness hath promise of the 
life that now is, as well as of that which is to come." 
The knowledge of our Creator is before all other things. 
You should study science, and observe men and things ; 
but not science, not philosophy, not literature, not music, 
nor painting first, and then Christianity, but Christianity 
first of all. Take the knowledge of God into the school, 
into the University, into the learned professions, and into 
the encyclopedia of life, as first and last. You should 
not go through college, and through the world, and come 
to Christ last, but seek first to know him whom to know 
aright is eternal life. 

Secular knowledge, deep and varied, we would have 
you all diligently seek ; but we would also have you pos- 
sess true piety, which will adorn, exalt, and sanctify you 
as students, and make you heirs of the kingdom of hea- 
ven. The first and highest study of every man is the 
safety of his soul. And no man ever yet gained the 
world by the sacrifice of his soul, though many have 
made this wretched experiment. Our Saviour says, " If 
you gain the whole world and lose your own soul, what 



96 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

shall it profit you ?" The meaning is not that if you set 
out to gain the world by sacrificing your soul, you must 
succeed. The result is certainly, in most cases, far other- 
wise. Those that set out to gain the world by sacrific- 
ing the soul, in ninety-nine cases out of a hundred lose 
both. While, on the other hand, the man who sets out 
in life determined to provide first for his soul, and then 
pursue and enjoy the world as it may be found subser- 
vient to and consistent with his soul's salvation, finds, if 
not the greatest abundance of worldly things, yet far the 
greatest enjoyment. Pulse and water are far better with 
the blessing of God, than the king's meat and the king's 
wine without it. 

Finally, let me say to you, young gentlemen of this 
Association, you have done nobly in beginning this en- 
terprise. Grow not weary in your undertaking. Your 
high calKng savors of that divine charity which is " the 
perfume of the blossoms of the Tree of Life." In doing 
good to the bodies and souls of your fellow-men — in find- 
ing situations for them, places of rest, relaxation, and 
improvement, and places for them to worship God, and 
retreats for them in sickness, and succor in temptation 
and want — you most nearly resemble the Son of God, 
who spent his life in doing good to men. And whether 
or not you succeed in doing all your hearts have pur- 
posed for others, still your efi'orts cannot fail as it regards 
yourself. God is a good paymaster. He gives back 
again with large interest, good measure, and pressed 
down, and shaken together, and running over. The his- 
tory of Joseph and Daniel strikingly proves this. I doubt 
not the wise, patriotic, and good will give you their 



HAPPIEST THOUGHTS IN DEATH. 97 

hearty co-operation. Your example and efforts will en^ 
courage a public spirit, and the exercise of social virtues, 
and the permanence of good laws. From your ranks a 
discerning public will look for statesmen, public men, 
and merchants of wealth, who shall be examples of social 
virtue and true religion. Our high places in the Church 
and the State must soon be filled from your numbers. 
And perhaps the happiest thought on your dying bed 
will be that you leave your mantle to some young man 
occupying a useful and honorable position in society, 
whom you took by the hand when he came a stranger to 
the city and helped to a situation, and led to the house 
of God, and by your timely aid and influence his life has 
become one of honor and usefulness. Such a result may 
well be said to be a monument in your memory that will 
fade last on earth, and loom up first and brightest in 
eternity. They that turn many to righteousness shall 
shine as the stars forever and ever. In the examination 
of the great day, may you all be found worthy to stand 
before the Eternal King. Amen. 



98 LECTURES OX DAOTEL. 



LECTUEE Y. 

THE LOST DREAM. 

On Dan., ii, 1-30. 

Daniel's personal Relations. — Tlie Triangle. — Rail-road via Orontes to India. 
— JosiaTis Death. — DanieVs Times. — His Chronology explained. — Oriental 
Salutations. — Professors of occult Sciences. — Chaldeans. — Punishment of 
the wise Men. — Altercation with the King. — Prophetic Dreams from God. — 
DanieVs Answer to the King. — Resemblance to Joseph. — Inferences : 1. Bbvj 
contemptible a Tyrant in a Passion. 2. God is in Modern History as well as 
in Ancient. — Washington not a Pantheist. — Politics and Religion. — Must 
read the Old Testament as vjell 05 the New. — Erasmus on Reading the Bible. 
— Infallible, unfailing Source of Relief to all young Men in Trouble. 

To nnderstaiid the history and writings of Daniel, it is 
necessary to remember his relation to two other prophets 
and to three kings, all of whom are frequently named in 
the Scriptm^es. These thi-ee kings are, Pharaoh-nechoh 
of Egypt, Jehoiakim in Jerusalem, and jS^ebuchadnezzar 
in Babylon. It is curious that something like an equila- 
teral triangle, whose base should be a line from the Per- 
sian Gulf, near which stood the city of Susa, also called 
Persepolis, running west to the Mediterranean, would 
comprise that portion of our globe most renowned in the 
history of ancient times. With this line for a base, and 
the Mediterranean on the west side, and the Euphrates on 
the east side, and the apex in the Mountains of Lebanon 
or of l^orthem Syria, we have the area of the supposed 
Garden of Eden, and the sites of Tyre, Sidon, Babylon, 
Mneveh, Edom, Petra, Mecca, and the cities of the Philis- 
tines, Egypt, and the Holy Land. Any one that will take 



DANIEL'S CONNECTIONS. 99 

the trouble to look at a map of Asia and Africa,' will see 
that from Alexandria the Mediterranean shore inclines to 
the east, and that as one ascends the Euphrates and the 
Tigris, he travels west as well as north, so that the head 
of the valley of the Euphrates and the northeastern side 
of the Mediterranean come near together. You are aware 
that it has been proposed in England to open up a high- 
way to India by a railroad from the Mediterranean, up 
the Orontes, through Celo-Syria, and then down the valley 
of the Euphrates to the Persian Gulf, and thence by steam- 
ship to Bombay. 

Such is the relative position of Egypt, the Holy Land, 
and Babylon. And the prophets to whom I have alluded, 
whose positions, history, and writings, are nearly allied to 
Daniel, are Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Jeremiah prophesied 
first in Jerusalem and afterward in Egypt, where he 
probably wrote his Lamentations. Ezekiel prophesied in 
Babylon, by the River Chebar ; and Daniel, as you know, 
begins his public life at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, in 
Babylon. He lived also in the reign of the Medo-Persian 
kings, and probably died at Susa, i. e., Persepolis*, then 
the capital of Persia. The Pharaoh just named marched 
a great army out of Egypt and made conquests as far as 
the Piver Euphrates, and took the city of Carchemish. 
At that time the young and pious king of Judea was 
named Josiah. Imprudently he was induced to march 
against the Ej[ng of Egypt, and in the battle that followed 
he was slain, and his dead body was conveyed to Jerusa- 
lem, and there was great mourning for him in all the 
country. After the defeat of the Israelites and the death 
of Josiah, Pharaoh hastened to Jerusalem, and carried 



100 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

away captive into Egypt the young Jehoahaz, whom the 
people had made king in the place of Josiah. The King 
of Egypt made Jehoiakim, another son of Josiah, king in 
Jerusalem, and he reigned as a tributary to Egypt. In 
the mean while, God brings Nebuchadnezzar into the 
field. At the head of a powerful army of Assyrians, he 
marches against the Egyptians under Pharaoh-nechoh, 
and defeats him in a battle near the Euphrates, and 
drives him back to Egpyt, and proceeds to lay siege to 
Jerusalem. Jehoiakim surrenders the holy city, and be- 
comes tributary to Babylon instead of Egypt. And* among 
the captives taken as hostages by the Xing of Babylon 
were Daniel and his three friends, l^ebuchadnezzar 
engages in other wars, but hearing of his father's death, 
returns to his capital laden with immense riches, and 
builds a most magnificent palace. But God, who had 
determined to make this great king — -just as he afterward 
did with Alexander, Cyrus, and Napoleon — an instru- 
ment in carrying out His providences to the human race, 
caused him to have a dream, which filled his soul with 
terror* Such were the times, and such the kings whose 
history it is necessary to know in order to understand the 
writings of Daniel. The scene of the history before us is 
laid in the far distant country of Babylon, by the great 
Kiver Euphrates, and about two thousand five hundred 
years ago. And in the second year of the reign of Nebu- 
chadnezzar. We are aware of an alleged chronological 
error here, which it may be worth while to notice. It is 
said in ch. i., v. 1, that Nebuchadnezzar, as King of Baby- 
lon, besieged and took Jerusalem. And it is admitted 
that Daniel and his three friends were subjected to a three 



TIME OF THE DREAM. 101 

years' discipline, and then presented to the king, and all 
this was done before the king's dream, which is said in 
the text to have occurred in the second year of his reign. 
The explanation of the difficulty given by some is, that 
^Nebuchadnezzar is called king in ch. i., v. 1, by anticipa- 
tion, because he did actually become king before the his- 
tory was written. This would be in accordance with 
common Hebrew usage. The solution, however, which I 
greatly prefer is different from this, but strictly in accord- 
ance with history. It is this — that in chap, i., v. 1, ISTebu- 
chadnezzar is called king, being then colleague with his 
father, and that he reigned two years with his father ; and 
that the second year of verse 1 of chap. ii. means the sec- 
ond year of his. reign after the death of his father. The 
dream happened, therefore, in ih^Jifth year of his reign, 
and in the fourth year of the Jewish captivity. 

One morning the King of Babylon rose from his royal 
couch in agitation and alarm. An indescribable dream 
had chilled him with horror, and yet he had forgotten all 
its details. All he remembered was its terrible majesty. 
It was unlike any thing that had ever troubled his sleep 
before. It had made a deep and abiding impression on 
his mind. He felt quite sure that it meant something 
more than an ordinary or common dream. He was con- 
vinced it imported an affair between Heaven and himself, 
which he was, of course, extremely anxious to have ex- 
plained. 

And as to the sneering Infidel question. How could a 
forgotten dream trouble the king ? it seems quite a suffi- 
cient answer to ask whether its propounders have common 
sense enough to dream ? For every one must know from 



102 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

experience tliat tlie mind is often greatly agitated by 
visions of tlie night, which vanish, leaving only a general 
impression. It is easy to suppose cases where the agita- 
tion would be even increased by the very fact that the 
particulars were no longer remembered, and the relief 
that might be hoped for could not, therefore, be so readily 
obtained. Every one knows that impressions from dreams 
remain after their particular details have escaped recollec- 
tion. The dimness, indistinctness, mysteriousness of the 
subject only increases the agitation. 

The king knew three things. He had had a dream. It 
was lost : but still it greatly troubled him. He therefore 
called for his wise men. 

1. The salutation of the 4th verse is exactly according 
to Oriental style. There are other instances of the same 
kind of address in the Bible. Xenophon, ^lian, Quintus 
Curtius, and others confirm the correctness of the Bible 
account of Oriental salutations. You are not ignor^int of 
the style of Oriental sovereigns, particularly on the Nile 
and the Euphrates. They are called on the monuments, 
"King of kings," "Lord of the world," "Light of life," 
and such like names. The meaning of, Tcing^ live far- 
ever^ in the sober every-day language of the common life 
of us Western Barbarians is, may your life be very long, 
and your reign prosperous. 

2. Four classes of Babylonian protessors of occult 
sciences, are named in the 2d verse : Magicians, Astro- 
logers, Sorcerers, and Chaldeans. The first and last orders 
are supposed to have been the Magi so often referred to, 
in whom the priestly character was connected with the 
pretensions made to the interpretations of dreams and 



PROFESSORS AT BABYLON. 103 

prodigies, and the foretelling of things to come. This last 
order is recognized in the Assyrian Sculptures, from the 
peculi-ar dress of the functionary, and from the distinctive 
offices in which he is seen to be engaged. In Babylon, 
as also in other Oriental countries, the priests were also 
diviners. These priestly Magi are represented as wearing 
a peculiar dress, such as is also represented upon the 
persons of gods and deified persons. Their garb is com- 
posed of jeweled head-bands, and bracelets, and flowing 
skirts. They are generally represented with a gazelle 
upon their left arm, and a flower in their right hand. I 
cannot now, however, even if I were able to do so, stop 
to describe these several classes of philosophers and astro- 
nomers, and point out the difference between them. 

It is more important and more difficult to know who 
are meant by the Chaldeans (v. 4,) than it is to inquire 
after the rest. Some suppose they were a college of 
learned men, where all arts and sciences were professed 
and taught. Dr. Clarke suggests that they were the most 
ancient philosophers in the world, and that they dwelt in 
the Babylonian Irak ; and as they preserved themselves 
from contact or mixture with the inhabitants of the other 
one hundred and twenty provinces of which the empire 
was composed, so they appropriated to themselves ex- 
clusively the name of Chaldeans. They spoke to the 
king in Syriac^ that is, in the language of Aram. Here 
begins the Chaldee part of the book of Daniel, which 
continues to the end of the Yth chapter. The Syriac, then, 
differed but little, if at all, as a language, from the Chal- 
dee. It was written, however, in a different character. 
The language of the l^ew Testament is frequently called 



104: LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

Sjro-Chaldaic — that is, it was tlie Hebrew- Chaldee that 
was used in Syria after the conquests of Alexander the 
Great. The idioms and many of the words are Hebrew 
and Chaldee, but the characters are Greek. 
. It is a well-known historical fact, that the kings of the 
East had in ancient times a learned body of men about 
them, whose duty it was to entertain the king with intel- 
lectual discussions, and to explain to him all high and 
difficult questions. With such a corps of learned men, 
who professed such high degrees of knowledge, it is not 
surprising that the king thought they should restore to 
him his lost dream, if their pretensions were well founded. 
"When summoned into his presence, they professed to be 
ready to interpret the dream, if the king would only tell 
them wnat his dream was ; but to tell a dream which the 
dreamer had himself forgotten, was beyond their power. 
3. The punishment threatened was not singular, but 
such as was known to the country and the times. Cutting 
tojpieoes was known to the Jews, for Samuel "hewed Agag 
to pieces." But to render the abode of the culprit a 
memorial of abomination occurs only in Babylonian and 
Persian decrees. "We have the same punishment in Ezra, 
vi., 11 ; and again in Daniel, iii., 29. Xenophon tells us 
that such a custom existed also at Athens, for that there 
were many spots in that city that remained vacant, where 
the habitation had either been destroyed by fire, or erased 
by a decree of the people. " E"o sooner was a citizen," 
says De Pauw, " accused of high treason, or some such 
crime, than immediately his house was demolished, as 
a vessel is broken that has contained poisonous liquor. 
llTeither was it lawful to rebuild there, for the very ground 



TROT AND JERICHO.— THE DREAM LOST. 105 

was supposed to become fatal and execrable, from the 
crimes of its former possessors."* 

You may remember that it was an ancient custom to pro- 
nounce a curse against him that should attempt to rebuild 
a ruined citj. It is believed, says Strabo, that those who 
might have wished to rebuild Troy were deterred from 
so doing, partly by the sufferings they endured there, and 
partly by the curse that Agamemnon had pronounced 
against him that should attempt to rebuild it. The same 
thing is true of the attempt to rebuild Jerusalem by 
Heraclius. And you know that Joshua cursed the man 
that should rise up to rebuild Jericho. The language of 
the text is a strong expression, indicating that their 
houses would be utterly destroyed, or converted into 
ruinous heaps, which should become receptacles for all 
manner of filth. The threatening, moreover, was the 
more to be dreaded, as their houses were built of straw, 
bitumen, and unburned brick, and as the rains of their 
winter season were more like torrents than showers, and 
when once their houses should begin to give way and fall 
to pieces, they would soon crumble into a shapeless mass 
of ruin. Every traveler has a feeling and vivid impres- 
sion of the masses of ruins about the ancient cities of the 
old world. 

4. "With us there is no resource by which to recover a 
lost dream. It was different with the Xing of Babylon 
He supposed his wise men could tell him his dream 
His court was crowded with men of professed learning 
and science. At this time Babylon vas as renowned for 

* A note quoted by Kitto, p. 350. 



106 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

learning as Egypt had been in the days of the great 
Pharaohs. Indeed, from both sacred and profane history, 
it is donbtful whether the Babylonians were not more 
devoted, especially to occnlt sciences, than the Egyptians. 
The Bible and profane history agree in stating that there 
were several classes of persons who devoted themselves 
to the different branches of learning and curious arts. 
In the East, in ancient as well as in modern times, those 
who really have some science are not content with what 
Is really known, bnt always connect themselves with 
some kind or other of necromancy or charlatanry, just as 
the wise men of the Indians of our own continent do. 
They seem to think it necessary, in order to keep up their 
credit as wise men, that they must at least profess some 
knowledge of hidden and peculiar sciences. For exam- 
ple, astronomy, which it is believed was first studied by 
the Chaldeans, was with them intimately connected with 
astrology, so that, in fact, the two formed but one science, 
of which astrology was deemed far the most important. 
This is still the case in the East. And English history 
furnishes us with a trial for constructive treason, in 1477, 
in which the accusation is stated in these words : " Tliat 
the accused had imagined and compassed the death of 
the king and prince by calculating their nativities, to 
'know when they should die ;' and thus, in order to carry 
their traitorous intention into effect, worked and calcu- 
lated by art, magic, necromancy, and astronomy, the death 
and final destruction of the king and prince."* 
Eead verses 10 t(^ 13. 

* From the Athenaeum of 1832, quoted by Kitto in hoc loco. 



THE KING ENRAGED. 107 

5. Let US pause here, and for a moment listen to tlie 
ALTERCATION between the wise men and their royal mas- 
ter. The J declare that his demand is unjust, unreason- 
able, and unusual. They say no other king has ever 
taxed the skill of his diviners to such an extent as this. 
The king becomes enraged, and says, your want of power 
to tell me my dream is a proof that if I could tell you the 
dream, you could not interpret it. I strongly suspect 
you are all a set of knaves, that pretend to great wisdom, 
in order that you may eat of my meat and drink of my 
wine. According to your professed principles and pre- 
tensions my requirements are reasonable, and if you do 
not tell me the di^eani and the interpretation, you shall 
all be destroyed. 

6. Kead verses 12 to 18. 

It is strange that the king or Arioch did not apply to 
the Hebrews at once, as they had been found ten times 
wiser than the magicians and astrologers of the kingdom. 
Perhaps they were thought to be too young, or too re- 
cently brought to court to be consulted in such grave 
affairs, or perhaps the court was prejudiced against them 
on account of their nation or religion. Whatever may 
have been the cause. Providence so ordered all the cir- 
cumstances as to make Daniel's discovery of the dream 
more remarkable. 

7. The decision of the Chaldean wise men, that none 
could restore to the king his lost di-eam but the gods^ 
whose dwelling is not vnth fleshy was eminently correct. 
Their decision was right, and when the living and true 
God, who indeed condescends to dwell with men, and 
who alone could reveal the dream and the secrets con- 



10 S LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

tained in it, actually made it knoTm to Daniel, He 
evinced the infinite difference there was between Jeho- 
vah and his prophets, and the idols and magicians of 
Babylon. Daniel's opinion was the same as that of the 
Chaldean diviners, namelv, that none bnt the gods conld 
do what the king required. And when he and his com- 
panions were called for to be put to death with the other 
wise men of the kingdom, he besought time to seek the aid 
of his God, confident that the secret would be imparted 
to him. The execution of the sentence was accordingly 
delayed. Daniel and his friends have recourse to the 
God of their fathers. They gave themselves up to prayer, 
and God heard them, and revealed the whole matter to 
Daniel in a night-vision. And when Daniel gave the 
dream and the interpretation, the wise men of Eabylon 
were consistent in saying that the Spirit of the holy gods 
was in him. 

And here we cannot but admire the Providence of God 
that brought Daniel and his friends forward at the time 
and in the way that were most conducive to their ad- 
vancement of the Divine glory. 

8. Eead verses 24: to 30. 

Dreams are not confined to the East nor to ancient 
times. Men di^eam di-eams still, both when awake and 
when asleep. But there are no such di-eams now as this 
of the great King of Babylon. ]^or is the losing of a 
dream any thing very remarkable. All of us know how 
deeply we have been absorbed in the visions of the night, 
and how they have vanished as dissolving scenes when 
we awoke, and how vain have been all our efforts to re- 
tain the circumstances that so deeply affected us in om- 



MEANING OF THE KING'S DREAM. I09 

sleep; but they elude oui* grasp. It was not, then, the 
fact that JS"ebuchadnezzar had a dream that calls for re- 
mark — nor the fact that he lost his dream, but its re- 
covery and significance. The dream was intended to 
make known the succession of empires and of revolutions, 
which in their turn were to decide the destinies of nations 
and of the people of God in ages to come. Every school- 
boy and girl knows something of the four great monarch- 
ies represented in the king's image — the Babylonian, the 
Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman — and can tell more 
or less of their founder s, j^ebuchadnezzar, Cyrus, Alex 
ander, and Caesar 

''Arioch went in to the Icing in haste^ to tell him that 
he had at length found a person who could make known 
to him his dream. How courtier-like this man's manner. 
Surely he was at great pains to find an interpreter, and 
surely it is owing entirely to his diligent researches that 
Daniel is brought to give the king his dream and its in- 
terpretation ; and yet the fact was, Arioch had no care 
nor trouble in the matter. It did not concern him that 
all the wise men in the kingdom were to be torn to 
pieces, for he did not belong to that order. All the dili- 
gence he used was to find this innocent youth Daniel, to 
put him to death for belonging to the learned class. "/ 
have found^'' said he pompously, "(^ man of the captives 
of Judah, that will make known unto the king the inter- 
pretation." And the king seeing Daniel, a youth of some 
twenty years, brought forward to explain what all the 
wise men of Chaldea had not been able to do, said to him, 
evidently with astonishment and surprise, " Art thou able 



110 LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, 
and the interpretation thereof?" 

And Daniel said, "The secret which the king hath de- 
manded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magi- 
cians, the soothsayers, show unto the king ; but there is a 
God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known 
to the king IlTebnchadnezzar what shall be in the latter 
days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head npon thy 
bed, are these : (As for thee, O king, thy thoughts came 
into thy mind npon thy bed, what should come to pass 
hereafter ; and He that revealeth secrets maketh known 
to thee what shall come to pass ; but as for me, this secret 
is not revealed to me for any wisdom that I have more 
than any living, but for their sakes that shall make 
known the interpretation to the king, and that thou 
mightest know the thoughts of thy heart.") 

Daniel's answer is sublime and beautiful. It was ex- 
ceedingly appropriate. He agrees with the wise men of 
the kingdom, that it was impossible for them, or for him 
as a mere man, to do what the king required. It was as 
if he had said to the king. Your wise men cannot do what 
you require of them. Do not, therefore, put your con- 
fidence in them as diviners ; but do not treat them so 
cruelly. If I come to make known to you your dream, it 
is not because I have of myself more wisdom than they 
have. I have not discovered it myself. It has been 
revealed to me by the God of heaven, whom I serve. 
What is indeed impossible with you and with your wise 
men, and with all men, is possible with God. There is a 
God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and He it is that 



CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY A BLESSING. m 

maketli known unto the king the revolutions of empires 
and the great things which shall be in the latter days. 
Mark how much he resembles Joseph in his modesty. 
Both, when called before the great heathen kings, were 
particular to ascribe their wisdom and ability to interpret 
dreams to the revelations made to them by the God of 
heaven ; and they are both careful to instruct their royal 
masters that their dreams and the thoughts of their hearts 
were made known that they might give glory to the God 
of heaven, who is the Maker of all things, and to whom 
all secrets are known. 

A few inferences, and I am done. 

1. How poor and wretched a creature is a man left to 
the power of fierce and ungovernable passions! How 
contemptible a figure does the great King of Babylon 
make in demanding what v^as impossible ! Hot-headed 
and furious men are generally without reason, and deaf 
to all remonstrances. How blessed are your privileges, 
that you live under constitutional laws, and are not sub- 
ject to the arbitrary power of a tyrant ! Magna Charta, 
Habeas Corpus, and trial by jury are blessings that cannot 
be too highly valued. As your lives and property are 
protected by law and courts of justice, so you, as good 
citizens, are bound to honor the magistrate, and uphold 
the institutions of your country. To fear God and honor 
the king, that is, the civil government, are apostolic in- 
junctions. 

2. In the rise and fall of nations, shadowed forth in 
prophecy, and presented in history, it is of great import- 
ance to bear in mind the fact that the Supreme Being 



112 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

does rule over all the inhabitants of the world, and yet 
does no violence to the free agency of any rational creature. 
The mightiest planets in the highest heavens sweep round 
in their orbits at his bidding, and so arise and fall the 
mighty dynasties of our race, both in ancient and modern 
times, and in both the Old and ^ew World. ]N'ot a few 
seem to think that God's providence was concerned with 
ancient nations, but has ceased to take notice of modern 
nations. This is nothing but practical atheism. God is 
not less vigilant and supreme now, in the midst of our 
inventions and improvements, than He was in the days 
of Jerusalem and Babylon. The historian of the times of 
Daniel does not say, " Jehoiakim fell into the hands of 
the King of Babylon ;" but he does say, " The Lord gave 
Jehoiakim into his hand." The celebrated and pious 
Bogue was in the habit of saying, when he took up the 
papers in the time of Napoleon the Great, to read what 
was passing : " Let us see how God governs the world." 
You cannot be too often nor too earnestly reminded that 
God is supreme in the modern world, as he was in the 
ancient. ITor can you be too deeply impressed with 
your dependence upon God for your social, domestic, and 
public blessings. It is remarkable how often the Divine 
Providence is mentioned in the writings of Washington. 
You will find that in more than one hundred different 
places in his writings he refers to the care of Providence 
over him and the affairs of the American people. 

3. In the history of nations there are always two 
classes of interests and facts very distinct, and yet ex- 
ercising over each other a powerful influence. I mean 



HOW TO READ ALL THE BIBLE. II3 

political and religions events. The first relates to kings, 
emperors, rulers, cabinets, and forms of government ; the 
second relates to the moral character, religious sentiment 
of the people, and pertains to the salvation of their souls 
and the condition of the Church of the living God. These 
interests must necessarily exercise over each other a 
powerful influence. The history of nations and the his- 
tory of the Church of Christ reflect mutually the state of 
the other. It has always been so. It will continue to be 
so. It cannot be otherwise. As patriots, then, you are 
bound to be truly pious yourselves, and to uphold by all 
proper means the true religion. 

4. It is a solemn and imperative duty on all of you to 
make yourselves acquainted with the Old Testament as 
well as with the New Testament. Many do not read the 
Old Testament at all, or if at all, only that portion of it 
which speaks of giants and of wars. They seem to think 
that two or three orthodox doctrines picked out of the 
Scriptures are all that is necessary for them to know. 
This was not the view our pious fathers had of the dutjr 
of searching the Scriptures. They thought, and correctly 
too, that all Script/are, the whole Old Testament, is 
" given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doc- 
trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right- 
eousness." It was in reference to the Old Testament 
Scriptures that the apostle thus speaks. And it was of 
them the blessed Saviour speaks when He says : " Search 
the Scriptures, for they are they which testify of me." 
ITor is it enough to read the Bible occg,sionally or super- 
ficially, or by fits and starts. It requires care and study 



114: LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

to understand the Scriptures. They must be read re- 
gularly, systematically, and with such helps, as maps, 
dictionaries, and concordances, as are needful for the in- 
terpretation of any other ancient book. The Bible must 
be read with the profoundest reverence, and with the 
docility and humility of a little child, and with fervent 
prayer to the Father of our spirits to "illumine what in 
us is dark." It is for the want of patient, persevering, 
diligenf study of the Holy Scriptures, that so many people 
are fickle, and easily carried away with every wind of 
doctrine that may chance to blow on their path. 'No won- 
der that such persons make little progress in the divine 
life. They neglect to study the Scriptures, in which are 
hidden the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. They do 
not grow in knowledge and grace, because they do not 
seek nourishment where it is to be found. " My people 
perish for the lack of knowledge, saith the Lord." 

" I speak it from experience," says the celebrated 
Erasmus, " that there is little benefit to be derived from 
the Scriptures if they be read cursorily or carelessly ; but 
if a man exercise himself therein constantly and con- 
scientiously, he will find such efficacy in them as is not 
to be found in any other book whatsoever." 

Finally, here you are taught where to go in all cases of 
difficulty. How did Daniel obtain the knowledge of the 
lost dream ? By asking for it. He prayed to God. He 
sought help in the right direction. We do not, indeed, 
expect miracles now, yet we do expect answer to prayer. 
Tou may be far from home. You may be in distress 
in a foreign land. The stern, cold, inquiring gaze of 



GOD IS A GOOD PORTION. 115 

strangers maj be your only welcome in the populous city. 
But there is one ear always open to your cry — one arm 
always stretched out for your relief. The God that heard 
Daniel in Babylon, on the banks of the Euphrates, will 
hear your prayer on the banks of our mightier river. 
Make Daniel's God your friend, and you will always have 
a protector. Ask, and you shall receive. Amen. 



116 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 



LECTUKE YI. 

THE DREAM EECOVERED. 

On Dan., ii, 31-49. 

DanieSs Modesty. — Not vain or rash. — Effect ofhis Address to the King. — Tlie 
great Image. — Its Meaning. — The Dream iiiterpreted an Argument for the 
Book of Daniel. — The fifth Kingdom. — Napoleon^s Testimony on the Divinity 
of Christ. — The four Empires. — The Book authentic. — Bise of Cyrv^. — 
Washington. — Las Casas' Map. — Alleghany Eagle. — God supreme Sover- 
eign in Providence and in Nature. — Tlie Creator'' s physical Code. — The Be- 
ligion of Astronomy. — Professor Mitchell. — The two Testaments. — Prophecy 
th£ Inspiration of the Almighty. — Newton's Eclipses. — A Comparison. — 
Bomulus founding Borne. — History important to young Men. — Elements of a 
Nation. — Bdigion essential. — Young Mm must be Politiciaros. — Be some- 
thing. 

The king's inability to recollect the dream that caused 
him so much anxiety gave occasion to call for Daniel, and 
enabled him to prove the vast superiority of his God over 
the gods and magicians of Babylon. By being able to 
restore the lost dream, he proved at once that he was able 
to give its true interpretation. By restoring the dream 
and giving its interpretation, he revealed to the king two 
mysteries at once — a mystery from the past and a mystery 
of the future. On hearing the ^ast^ the king must have 
felt — "that is true, it was just so ; I now remember it. 
Surely this is from God." And thus was he prepared to 
hear concerning \hQ future^ which his dream was to reveal. 
It was natural, therefore, for him to reverence Daniel 
when he heard the interpretation of his night vision. As 
soon as Daniel was done speaking, the king replied. See 



KING'S REVERENCE FOR DANIEL. 117 

verses 46 and 47. It has been urged, as an objection to 
the history before us, that Daniel is here represented as 
receiving improper homage from the king. We answer, 
Daniel does not seem to have desired it. He certainly 
expresses no approbation of the king's conduct. He may, 
indeed, have objected to it, and the objection have been 
omitted from the record. He was a subject — a slave ; it 
was not for him to dictate to his master. Repeatedly, 
however, he assured the king that all he could do was 
to be ascribed to the power and wisdom of the God of 
heaven. He gave God all the glory. He never for a 
moment, by word or deed, failed to show his fixed aver- 
sion to idolatry. On all occasions, with singular modesty, 
firmness, and fidelity, he avowed that the God whom he 
served was the only real and true God. Some suppose 
that the text means that ITebuchadnezzar was willing to 
worship Daniel, but that, seeing Daniel's opposition to it, 
he did not do so. But, aside from these conjectures, it is 
a sufficient answer for you to recollect that the Hebrew, 
and even the English translation of it, do not determine 
whether the king meant to pay divine or merely civil 
honors to Daoiel. Such prostration and tokens of respect 
were common before kings and princes, and any one 
whom it was intended to honor. Abraham paid such 
honor to the children of Heth, who gave him a burying- 
place for Sarah. If the king did actually fall on his face 
before Daniel, it does not follow that he paid him homage 
in the sense of religious w^orship. ITeither do the sweet 
odors indicate the kind of homage intended ; for these are 
and were as common in the East as prostration, and are 
in themselves merely a token of honor. It is enough for 



118 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

our present purpose to know that Oriental history, and 
coins, and monuments, and the well-known customs of 
the East to this day, prove that prostration and the pre- 
senting of costly perfumes was one of the ways in which 
honor was shown to any person deemed worthy of such 
homage. 

The effect of Daniel's interpretation upon the king was 
not altogether such as was desired. The impression was, 
at the time, deep, but not abiding. The lesson which he 
had to learn, as we shall see in succeeding lectures, had 
to be repeated ; and its repetition was harder than when 
given for the first time. Some suppose that ]^ebuchad- 
nezzar was converted when he fell on his face and wor- 
shiped Daniel. His subsequent conduct, before his sec- 
ond chastisement, renders this improbable. If he ever 
was converted, as I hope he was, it must have been after 
his restoration to his mind and kingdom, and shortly be- 
fore his death, when he said, " The heavens do rule^ and 
he blessed the Most HighP 

Let us now hear the lost dream. Eead verses 31-35. 

A great image. Yerse 31. It appears from ancient 
coins and medals that both cities and nations were repre- 
sented by gigantic figures of men and women. The old 
writer Florus, in his history of Rome, represents the 
Eoman empire under the form of a human being, in its 
different states from infancy to old age. The recently- 
discovered monuments of the Mle, and of Kineveh, and 
of Babylon, show that stupendous human figures were 
objects and emblems familiar to the ancients. Geogra- 
phers, also, have used similar representations. The Ger- 
manic empire has been represented by a ma]3 in the form 



ANALYSIS OF THE GREAT IMAGE. JIQ 

of a man, different parts being pointed out by the head, 
breast, arms, &c., according to their geographical and 
political relation to the empire in general. The various 
metals of which ISTebuchadnezzar's image was composed 
represented the various kingdoms which should arise sub- 
sequent to the fall of his own empire. Their position in 
the body of the image clearly denoted the order of their 
succession. The different metals and their position also 
expressed different degrees of strength, riches, power, and 
durability. Clay, earth, and dust, of course, mean weak- 
ness, instability. 

The interpretation we have in verses 36 to 45, which 
please read with me. The image is a symbol of empire. 
Its different materials symbolize different dynasties arising 
out of, and subsequent to, the Babylonian. The extreme 
part of the gigantic image, which was a mixture of iron 
and clay, represents a very heterogeneous and mixed domi- 
nation. It does not come within my present purpose to 
dwell upon the empires symbolized by this image. It is 
sufficient, while referring you to authors who have ably 
treated this subject, to say that the image doubtless was 
designed to represent four different governments, and to 
show their successive risings, and their comparative 
strength and grandeur. It was the Spirit of the God of 
heaven that taught his servant things which could only 
be known to himself; and this inspiration proves the 
truthfulness of the Bible. Daniel must have been an 
honest and truthful man; and his interpretation of the 
king's dream, foretelling events to transpire in distant 
ages, must have been, as he said it was, a revelation from 
God. It cannot be supposed that the Supreme Being, 



120 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

who is infinite purity, and wisdom, and goodness, wotdd 
inspire a knave to predict, as Daniel did, some of the 
greatest political events that have ever taken place on 
earth. Daniel, then, must have been a good man, and he 
must have received his knowledge of things to come from 
God. He was a man of truth, and he says his under- 
standing of the king's dreams was given to him by 
Jehovah. Tlie argument here alluded to for the Divine 
authority of the Bible is one that grows stronger by the 
lapse of time. 

If it be true that the argument from miracles is weaken- 
ed by age, the argument from prophecy, on the contrary, 
gains strength by every revolution of time and of the 
nations of the earth. 

Daniel's prophetic mind was not, however, limited to 
the rise, extension, glory, and fall of the four great 
monarchies, which he saw so distinctly in the king's great 
image. He speaks of a fifth kingdom, and his predic- 
tions concerning it have not only been true thus far, but 
are now in the course of fulfillment. The phrase last 
days^ in the Prophets, signifies the times of the Messiah. 
The kingdoms of the image arose and prepared the way 
for the advent of the Son of God, who is the King and 
Head of this fifth kingdom, set up by the God of heaven. 
Mountains^ you recollect, in the Bible are the emblems 
of mighty kingdoms, states, and empires. The stone cut 
out without hands means Jesus Christ and his kingdom ; 
and being cut out of the mountain without hands, signifies 
without human aid or power. The hand is a common 
Hebrew symbol for power; and we find all these par- 
ticulars remarkably fulfilled. The kingdom of the true 



FIFTH KINGDOM SET UP. 121 

Messiah is spiritual, in contradistinction to the other king- 
doms foreshadowed in the image, which were of the 
earth, earthy — founded by blood and conquest. Christ, 
you recollect, is represented in many Scriptures as a 
stone. 

And in the days of these kings — that is, in the days of 
the Caesars, the God of heaven set wp a kingdom. Pales- 
tine, at the birth of Jesus, was a Eoman province. Mes- 
siah was born, and his kingdom set up under the Roman 
government. Christ came as the messenger of free, 
sovereign love. God gave His Son. His birth was an 
extraordinary miracle, and His kingdom, in its origin, na- 
ture, extension, and preservation, is a miracle of miracles. 
Its whole nature is different from all others that have 
ever been established by the l^ebuchadnezzars, Csesars, 
and E"apoleons of the world. This fact did not escape 
the quick and powerful mind of JSTapoleon himself, and 
you know that he considered it the most remarkable fact 
known in human history, and regarded it as an infallible 
proof of the Divinity of Jesus Christ. His empire was 
founded in blood, but in his own. Its poKcy and jiiaxims 
are not according to the rules of the courts of tZiis world. 
It was not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit of 
Jehovah of Hosts that the kingdom of Heaven was estab- 
lished in our world. But let us briefly consider Daniel's 
interpretation. Thou^ king, art a King of kings : thou 
art this head of gold. Verses 37; SS. Under JSTebuchad- 
nezzar the Chaldean empire rose to its height, and em- 
braced not only Chaldee^ 5ut also Assyria, Arabia, Syria, 
Egypt, and Lybia. Th4 head of gold represents its im- 
mense riches. In g(7ld Babylon far surpassed any other 



122 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

ancient kingdom. 'Next after Nebuchadnezzar's empire 
arose that of the Medes and Persians, whose union was de- 
noted by the breasts and arms of silver. Cyrus captured 
Babylon B.C. 538, when this Medo-Persian empire may 
be said to have been founded. 

The third kingdom was the empire of the Macedonians, 
or Brazen-coated Greeks, aptly represented by the belly 
and thighs of brass. This empire was founded by Alex- 
ander the Great, who put an end to the Persian monarchy 
by the defeat and overthrow of Darius Codomanus at 
Arbela B.C. 331. 

The fourth empire was the Poman, which comprised 
nearly the whole known world. Its elements were dis- 
cordant, and the empire was, therefore, fitly represented 
by iron and clay, which would not cleave one to another, 
even as iron is not mixed with clay. 

The Poman empire was weakened by a mixture of bar- 
barians, and by their incursions was finally overthrown, 
and at length divided into ten kingdoms, answering to 
the ten toes of the great image. It is thus the image is 
generally interpreted. Josephus, Tacitus, Gibbon, Hero- 
dotus, and Pollin furnish us with abundant evidence of 
the fulfillment of the predictions of Daniel. As to the 
insinuation of modern skeptics, that the book of Daniel is 
a mere political satire, written long after the events hap- 
pened of which it speaks, it must suffice for the present 
for me to say, as I have shown in a previous lecture, that 
the evidences internal an6 external, are all arrayed 
against it, and prove, on the contrary, as clearly as such 
a subject admits of proof, the authenticity and genuine- 
ness of the book. "We have positiva proof of the exist- 



REMARKABLE RISE OF CYRUS. 123 

ence and general knowledge of the book of Daniel hefwe 
the rise of Antiochus Epiphanes and Alexander the 
Great. And all the discoveries yet brought to light bj 
M. M. Botta, Layard, Kawlinson, and Hincks, as far as 
they bear on the subject at all, corroborate the general 
truthfulness of the commonly received opinions about the 
book of Daniel and the four great empires. 

I have said the position of the different parts of the 
image and the different kinds of metal are descriptive of 
the time of the rise, and of the nature of the several 
empires spoken of. 

A change in the metal denoted a change of the people 
and language ; and, as there is no interval in the image 
between the gold and the silver, so the empire signified 
by the gold and silver is one. It was begun by the Chal- 
deans, and continued by the Persians without interrup- 
tion. The gold, i. e.^ the Babylonian empire ; the silver, 
that is, the Persian^ are succeeded by the empire of hrass 
— an empire less rich and less glorious than that of Baby- 
lon, but more powerful and terrible. The chronology of 
these empires is indicated by the position of the metals in 
the image. The order of time is the order of the parts of 
the body from the head downward. 'Nov is the geogra- 
phy of these empires less clear and satisfactory than their 
chronology. Time does not allow me to point out this. 
I gave in a sort of a triangle, in the last lecture, a sort 
of a bird's-eye view of the geographical position of Judea, 
Babylon, and Egypt. From that triangle we have now 
to look westward for the rise of Alexander the Great, and 
eastward for the rise of Cyrus. As in the human body 
the two arms unite above the breast, so in like manner 



124 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the Medes and Persians were -united, and made but one 
empire and one people. Cvrns' father married a daughter 
of the King of the Medes, and this led to the union of the 
two kingdoms ; and the rise of Cyrus and of the Medo- 
Persian kingdom, from an obscure province, under tribute 
to Babylon in the time of Daniel, is certainly very re- 
markable. Five years after the interpretation of the 
dream by Daniel — that is, 600 B.C., in the mountains 
east of Babylon, in a country called Elam or Persia — a 
child was born, whose parents gave him the name of 
Cyrus. His father and mother were heathens. They 
lived at least twelve hundred miles from Jerusalem. 
There was no travel between the two countries, except as 
armies were marched and counter-marched. The Jewish 
nation was weak and despised. The Medo-Persian parents 
were very far, therefore, from suspecting that the name 
of their child had been written down in a Hebrew book 
two hundred and forty years before. . And yet all this 
was true ; and not only the name but the deeds of their 
son were foretold by the Jewish seer, who wrote his name 
in the sacred book of his nation. ]^ow suppose a book, 
relating chiefly to the religion and national concerns of 
the Chinese, had been written two hundred years before 
the birth of Washington, and deposited among the sacred 
books of the Chinese empire, in which it was foretold that 
a child should be born in the province of Yirginia, belong- 
ing to the crown of Great Britain, and that his name 
should be called George "W ashington, and that he should 
become a great general and statesman, and that the 
colonies should declare their independence of the mother 
country, and that Washington, at the head of their 



CHARTS OF LAS CASAS. 1^ 

armies, should capture Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown, and 
that the colonies should then become a nation, and Wash- 
ington be the first President of the United States ; and 
suppose copies of this book were multiplied, and that it 
had been translated into another widely-spread tongue, 
and that the original of the chief translation had been so 
sacredly kept that it was impossible for them ever to have 
been materially corrupted or interpolated — with what pro- 
found astonishment and reverence would we look upon a 
copy of such a book? We need not wonder, therefore, 
that when Cyrus became acquainted with the Hebrew 
Scriptures, and read the prophecies of Daniel, that he 
favored his nation, and issued his decree for their return 
to their own country. 

Another observation here seems worth making in this 
place : that Las Casas, the friend of Napoleon, drew up a 
series of synoptical charts while he was with the emperor 
in St. Helena, in which he distinguishes both the empires 
and the subdivisions by different colors. I have not these 
charts at hand, but this is a correct description of them. 
!N'ow it is not probable that Las Casas thought of Daniel 
while he was engaged in drawing them ; yet Daniel, two 
thousand four hundred and forty-three years before, at 
the side of his friend, the Emperor I^ebuchadnezzar, could 
have drawn them for him just as accurately as he did. 
Like Daniel, Las Casas divides the history of the world 
into four parts, and he employs four colors to designate 
the empires of the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, 
and the Romans. The Macedonian empire he divides 
into four kingdoms, of which the Syrian and the Egyptian 
are the two most powerful ; and so also does he divide 



126 LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

the Eoman empire into ten parts. And thus the friend 
of Napoleon and the friend of Nebuchadnezzar have given 
the history of the world substantially, and in many things 
even to the most minute particulars in the same way. 
The one writes from an island in the ocean, about 2400 
years attee the events transpired which he relates, and 
the other writes fr-om the banks of the Euphrates 600 
B.C., and befoee the events themselves took place. The 
main and only essential difference between the historic 
charts of Daniel and of Las Casas is that, while the latter 
had no Messiah, the former speaks of a fifth kingdom to 
be set up by the God of heaven, which was to rule forever 
— ^the kingdom of the Messiah, Jesus. 

"We see the haxd of Peovidexce in bringing Daniel 
and his fr-iends forward at the Babylonish court at the 
time when it was the most proper they should be honor- 
ed. He who gave the dream to the king ordered all 
the circumstances that took place, and gave to Daniel 
the honor of restoring and interpreting it, and through 
Daniel brought out the heathen king's acknowledgment 
that the God of the Hebrews was superior to the gods of 
Babylon. The elevation of his faithful servants, the He- 
brew youths, was another result of the Divine interposi- 
tion. God never forsakes those that trust in Him. 

I. The DEEAM, its PEEDICTIONS, AXD THEIE mLFTLLMEXT 
PEOVE THE SrPEEME AXD PAETICrXAE PeOVIDENCE OF GoD, 
A^O) THEEEBT AESO SHOW THE TErTH OF THE BlBLE. As the 

eagle hovering in the clouds, above the summit of the 
Alleghanies, discerns from a distance the valleys of the 
Ohio and Mississippi, toward which he wings his flight, 
with their tributary streams, forests, and cities, so does 



GOD SOYEREIGN IN NATUEE AND HISTORY. 127 

Daniel, the man of God, in the sublime revelations which 
God gave him, rise above time, and mount up into the 
heights of faith, and soar tranquilly over the vast future, 
and discover in the distance the kings, the empires, and 
events which were to agitate the world at successive 
periods ; and in one glancing of his prophetic eje he 
takes in the whole series of ages, from his stand-point in 
the palace of Nebuchadnezzar to the second coming of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. ISTow this prediction of the future 
destinies of nations could not be without revelations from 
God, nor could it be unless God be both sovereign in 
PKOViDENCE AND IN NATIVE. It is God Only and alone 
who can foretell the distant changes of time and nations ; 
and this he can do and has done as infallibly as he knows 
the revolutions of the heavenly bodies. God knows as 
perfectly and as certainly what the commotions of the 
people and the thousand passions of kings and statesmen 
will produce, as what the thousand attractions of the stars 
and their most distant courses will bring about in im- 
mensity. Astronomers give us beforehand the details of 
eclipses, because the Creator has impressed his will upon 
the universe as a code of physical laws. These laws are 
regular, harmonious, and certain ; just as much so as if 
we could see myriads of angels executing them in all 
directions throughout the universe. The globe, the orrery, 
and the planetarium demonstrate the existence, beauty, 
harmony, accuracy, and sublimity of these laws. Astro- 
nomy proves to us that the world had a beginning, and 
that its beginning was caused by an Infinite Mind, and 
that it is still governed by Supreme Intelligence. The 
Psalmist well understood these things when he said, "For- 



128 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

ever, Lord, thy word is settled in heaven. Thou hast 
established the earth, and it abideth." iJTow the God 
who governs the seasons and governs the stars is the same 
God that governs the nations of the earth. He rules 
mankind, who dwell mi the earth, as well as the worlds 
which roll in infinite space. He stays the commotions of 
the people, as well as the billows of the sea. He holds in 
his hand the hearts of the rulers of the earth, as He counts 
the hosts of heaven and calls them all by name. Hence 
it is that Daniel, by the Spirit of God, could predict the 
revolutions of empires, just as Sir Isaac Kewton was able 
to predict, centuries beforehand, the variations and revolu- 
tions of the remotest planets in the regions of space, where 
they travel at the rate of one million and a half miles per 
day. Kewton, with his telescope, and his pen, and the 
use of mathematics, read the laws which the Creator has 
promulgated in the physical universe. Daniel, by thd 
Spirit of God, read the laws which the Almighty Creator 
hath ordained in the intellectual and sensitive world, and 
saw their results. You know that such is the precision 
with which the motions of the heavenly bodies can be as- 
certained, than an astronomer in his observatory at Baby- 
lon, 2500 years ago, could have foretold every eclipse of 
the sun and moon that has happened from that day to 
this. Our countryman,"^ on the hill at Cincinnati, can 
say, " I will fix a telescope opposite that window, with 
two threads of spider's web placed across one another in 
the centre of its glass, and if one of the heavenly bodies 
touches on them for a thousand years, I can tell at what 

* Professor Mitchell. 



ASTRONOMY AND PROPHECY. 129 

hour, what minute, what second, any given world shall 
pass the intersection of those two threads at the end of a 
thousand years, after having traveled millions of millions 
of miles in all directions of the universe. I can even tell 
at what distance from the earth that star will be at the 
expiration of three thousand years." JSTow how is it that 
astronomers are able to predict such things ? It is because, 
firsts they have minds trained, disciplined to thought, 
which are capable of perceiving objects which the Creator 
has made, and the. laws He has given to them; and, 
secondly^ because God has been pleased, by the putting 
forth of his omnipotence and wisdom, to ordain laws in 
nature which are permanent ; and, thirdly^ because it has 
pleased God to discover to such men, by the permanence 
of his laws in nature, that he is a God of order and of 
truth, and will certainly accomplish all that his hands 
begin. And is not God as truly sovereign in the Bible 
as he is among suns, moons, and stars ? Are not the 
heavens and the earth one volume, and the writings of 
the prophets and apostles but another volume having thj^ 
same author? ISTature and Revelation are the Old and 
Kew Testaments of the same Creator and Redeemer, 
God. The first is written in huge hieroglyphs and sym- 
bols, while the second is written in human languages. 
The first are the inscriptions of an Omnipotent finger, 
flaming on the forehead of the universe, and declaring 
the power and ownership of the Creator ; the second is 
the inspiration of the Almighty, uttered to us in words 
of our own tongue. And these two volumes — ^these two 
Testaments — are harmonious. And as the astronomer, 

with his pen, and paper, and telescope in his hand, can 

9 



130 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

predict, ages before, the positions of the heavenly bodies^ 
their motions, changes, eclipses, and revolutions, so the 
prophets of the Bible 'were able, by the Spirit of God, to 
predict, ages before, the positions of kingdoms, and the 
rise, prosperity, and fall of conquerors. 

Tlie dream of N'ebuchadnezzar, as interpreted by Dan- 
iel, and as understood by Josephus and by most biblical 
scholars, agrees with the best historians of ancient and 
modern times. ^Nebuchadnezzar was himself the golden 
head of the image. The Hedes and Persians come next. 
And at the time that Daniel wrote out his interpretation 
of the king's dream, the Persians were as insignificant a 
people as the inhabitants of Siberia are now, and far more 
unknown to the world. And, to use the suggestion of 
another, there is as much probability now that some 
Cyrus will be born just five years hence in the mountains 
of Siberia, who shall capture St. Petersburg, and put the 
Autocrat of all the Russias to death, as there was, in mere 
human view, in the time of Daniel, that Cyrus should be 
born in Persia, and conquer Babylon. The Persians 
dwelt in their own mountains, and were especially un- 
known to the Hebrews ; and yet there lived at Jerusalem, 
about two hundred years before Daniel, a Hebrew prophet, 
who not only predicted the downfall of Babylon, but 
, *even told the name of its conqueror. Isaiah also foretells 
the birth and conquests of Cyrus about 240 years before- 
hand. See Mth and 45th chapters. Thus, if there had 
been a Bible-class or a Sabbath-school in Jerusalem, a 
child with the book of Isaiah in his hand, two hundred 
years before the Medo-Persian empire, could have fore- 
told its rise, and the downfall of Babylon by the hand of 



ISAIAH'S PKOPHECT OF CYRUS. 131 

Cyrus, just as our astronomer at Cincinnati, with his 
telescope and his mathematical tables, can predict an 
eclipse of the sun a thousand years hence, and tell in 
what places such an eclipse will be visible. It is no 
wonder, then, that Sir Isaac Newton, one of the greatest 
mathematicians and astronomers that has ever lived, set 
himself to the study of prophecy, saying, '^ I have long 
studied the stars, and the glory of God in creation ; I will 
now study Daniel, and the glory of God in the prophecies 
of His word!" And the result of his studies B^re, Jlrst, 
a work on the " Principles of Natural Philosophy," in 
which he teaches us to look far into the mysteries of 
creation ; and, secondly^ we have, from the same gigantic 
mind and laborious pen, a work on the " Prophecies " of 
Daniel and the book of the Revelations of St. John. It 
would be extremely interesting to trace out, if we could, 
the internal and experimental connection in the mind of 
this illustrious philosopher between his studies of creation 
and his studies of prophecy, and see how the one in- 
fluenced and operated upon the other. May it not be 
that he said to himself, I have fixed, by discoveries and 
calculations, with certainty the motions, eclipses, and re- 
volutions of the heavenly bodies. By all these I am 
firmly persuaded the universe is governed by an all-wise, 
supreme, and benevolent Creator. May it not be true 
that, by the revelations of His prophets. He has recorded 
for us the revolutions of men on the earth, as He has re- 
corded by His laws the motions of the planets in heaven? 
And accordingly, we find that he set himself to work to 
fix the chronology of ancient times by eclipses. As he 
could fix the time of the eclipses mentioned by ancient 



132 LECTURES 0^ PANIEL, 

writersj so could he fix the date of all contemporaneous 
events whick thej recorded. For example, when he read 
in Plutarch that the sun was vailed in darkness in Italy 
the year that Eomalus founded the citj of Eome, he 
turned to his astronomy, and it revealed to him with ab- 
solute certainty that this celestial phenomenon took place 
753 years B.C., and at 4 o'clock, P.M., on the 5th of July. 
This, then, was the year in which the foundation of Eome 
was laid. And the connection of this fact with prophecy 
is remarkable in two ways. First, in counting back in 
this way, he found that the events spoken of by Daniel 
as to the rising of the four great monarchies, and the 
seventy weeks, and the appearance of the fifth kingdom 
set up by the God of heaven, were all perfectly correct as 
to time. And a second point brought out is very remark- 
able, which I give in the words of Professor Gaussen, of 
Geneva. Sir Isaac I^ewton "employed for his compu- 
tations a catalogue of eclipses drawn up by a very ancient 
astronomer named Ptolemy. This man lived 140 years 
after Christ, and was a heathen. He left in his writings 
an account of astronomical observations made at Babylon 
for a long series of years. ^N'ow what must have been 
ISTewton's admiration for Daniel when he saw that the 
heathen Ptolemy, to mark the years of his ecHpses, had 
divided the ages of antiquity exactly as the Hebrew 
prophet had done 74:5 years before him ; that is, Ptolemy 
the astronomer looked back, and saw the four great 
monarchies, just as Daniel the prophet did in the distant 
future. One would suppose, in reading Daniel, that he 
had followed Ptolemy, or, in reading Ptolemy, that he 
had copied Daniel. Ptolemy, in his list of kings, which 



GOD SUPREME IN ALL THINGS. 133 

he c^lls a mathematical rule or canon of kings, counts the 
kings of Babylon just as Daniel does."* The coincidence 
is certainly very remarkable. 

What, then, is the result which we have obtained ? In 
a few words, it is this : God is the goveenor op nations, 

JUST AS HE IS OF WOELDS. He IS AS SUPBEME IN PEOPHECT 

AS IN ASTEONOMT. He rules in the rise of nations and in 
the fall of empires, as He does in the revolutions of hea- 
venly bodies, which make their mighty journe^^s day and 
night in immensity. His laws are equally potent and 
harmonious in both. The astronomer, by the use of his 
intellect and the appliances of science, stands in his 
observatory and predicts the motions and phases of stars 
and planets. The Hebrew seer stood on the mount of 
holy vision, and predicted the developments of the pre- 
determined counsels of the Almighty concerning the na- 
tions that were to appear upon the earth. 

n. Again, young friends, the study of the prophetical 
history of nations is of vast importance to young men, 
not merely as such history is a running commentary upon 
mankind, and a volume of evidence in favor of Chris- 
tianity, but also in this : namely, that the history of na- 
tions presents two elements in themselves perfectly dis- 
tinct, and yet always more or less united, and always 
more or less subjected to mutual and reciprocal influences. 
I mean the political and religious history of a country. 
The religious habitudes of a people do of necessity deeply 
affect their morals, and their social and national char- 

* Gaussen's Lectures on Daniel, p. 91, 92. Presbyterian Board of Pub- 
lication, 



134 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

acteristics. So palpable is the influence of religion upon 
a nation, that it has long been received as a canon of 
philosophical history, that the religion of a country being 
known, all the rest of that country's history can be easily 
known. It is not essential to mere physical existence 
that we have comfortable houses to live in, and that they 
are adorned with the products of industry and filled with 
the comforts of commerce. We could live in tents or in 
adobe houses. But certainly those who have once tasted 
the elegances of refined life will not desire to go back to 
semi-barbarism. So it is not essential for all pious people 
to be politicians, yet all the members of Christ's Church 
are interested in the political interests of the world ; and 
Christian young men should prepare themselves to take a 
part in the civil affairs of their country. K the adminis- 
tration of our laws and the outwork of our great insti- 
tutions are left wholly in the hands of ungodly or unprin- 
cipled men, we cannot expect God's blessing to rest upon 
us. IlToisy demagogues are not good models for Christian 
young men, but all Christian young men should make 
themselves intelligent about civil affairs, and by their 
votes and influence promote only good men and uphold 
only correct principles. "We are on the eve of great 
events. You should prepare yourselves for acting a high 
and noble part in the great history of the future ; you 
should cherish a love of country and of your fellow-men ; 
you should habitually pray for your rulers, and throw 
your whole influence in favor of the laws of the land. 

III. Observe how careful Daniel was to remember his 
friends in his prosperity. Like Joseph, when exalted, 



NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S CONFESSION. ' I35 

he was not ashamed of his poor kin. At his request his 
three friends were promoted to high employments in the 
department over which he presided. As his friends had 
shared his anxieties — as they had united with him in 
prayer to God for wisdom, so it was becoming for him in 
his advancement to secure them places of trust. 

lY. Throughout Daniel's history we see in him, as in 
Joseph, a disposition to humble himself and exalt his God. 
T^thout prevarication or hesitancy, he shows his abhor- 
rence of idolatry, and his deep and earnest conviction 
that the God whom he served was the only real and true 
God. He claims nothing for himself. When the king 
asks him if he is able to make known the dream and its 
interpretation, he reminds the king that there had been 
no power in the gods of his diviners which had enabled 
them to do^ this ; but " there is a God in heaven that re- 
vealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king ITebuchad- 
nezzar what shall be in the latter days." And in the 
whole affair we hear him ascribing every thing to God : 
the dream itself — the interpretation — the existence and 
power of the Babylonian empire — the power of the king 
himself, and all the historical developments which the 
dream prefigured — all he ascribes to the God whom he 
served. And his obj ect was in part attained. The king's 
mind became so powerfully impressed with Daniel's 
arguments and demonstrations, that he made the remark- 
able declaration : " Of a tkuth it is that toue God is a 
God of gods, and a Lord of kings." The king, like other 
heathen nations in those times, supposed that every coun- 
try had its local deities, and that Daniel's God was 



136 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

certainly one of the superior ones. His confession was 
remarkable, bnt it was far short of what he ought to have 
said : " There is only one living and true God, who made 
heaven and earth, and besides Him there is no God. 

Finally, from the imperfect and hasty view presented, 
of the beauty and harmony with which God, as sover- 
eign both in nature and providence, governs the uni- 
verse, is not your duty palpable ? Clearly it is your duty 
to study both the works and the word of God. You w6l-e 
created in His image and after His likeness. Tou have, 
therefore, a noble heritage. Cultivate your minds — 
elevate yom* affections — seek the knowledge of great and 
glorious subjects. The earth beneath you, the heavens 
above you, and the elements around you, and the history 
and achievements of your race in ages past, and the 
prophecies of its futurity, all demand your attentive re- 
search. Eesolve to be somethino^ — to do somethino; for 
yom- age — to serve your generation and your God. Every 
thing in the universe invites your intellectual exertions. 
Suffer not your mind and your affections to go to waste 
by indolence — destroy them not by excesses. Let them 
not rot in dissipation or selfishness. Cleave to your 
mother's Bible. Admire the spirit of heavenly prophecy, 
which laid so broad, and deep, and sure a foundation for 
your faith. Be thankful that the God of heaven has set 
up a kingdom that will endure forever, and that you are 
all invited to become its subjects. While you are enjoy- 
ing the blessings of this kingdom, pray earnestly for its 
advancement, and labor diligently to bring your fellow- 
men into it. Strive to walk worthy of Him who hath 



AIM AT THINGS HIGH AND NOBLE. I37 

called you, through the Gospel, to glory, honor, and 
IMMORTALITY. Of the God of heaveii, Christ is made unto 
us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and complete re- 
demption. Seek first the kingdom of God, and all things 
needful shall be added unto you. Amen. 



138 LECTURES ON PANIEL. 



LECTUKE YII. 

THE FIERY EUKNACE. 

On Dan., iii. 

Becapitulation. — Daniel a close Student of the Holy Writings and of the Wayi 
of Providence. — Sat in the Gate, Grand Vizier. — The Image set up in the 
Plain of Dura. — The King enforcing Uniformity. — Projpagandi^m hy the 
Sword older than Mohammed or the Pope. — PawUnson^s Peading of Assy- 
rian Inscriptions illustrates the Text. — Size of the Golden Image. — Colossus 
of Nero and of Rhodes. — Burning Heretics not original with the Jesuits. — 
Truthfulness of DanieVs History. — Measures used ly the King to produce 
Uniformity, seductive and minatory. — Hov) like Popery. — Best Music. — 
Eunuchs. — T}ie Furnaxx: Savages understand it. — The Fire that would not 
turn. — Young Heirews inflexible. — Freedom of Conscience. — The old Hebrew 
Catechism of Jerusalem in Babylon. — WHY these young Men remained 
steadfast in their Faith. 

LESSONS. 

I. Toting men' must prepaee for fiery times. — The King not the Head 
of the Church, nor Governm.ent a Conscience-keeper for the People. 

n. Truth is real power, and will prevail. 

III. True principle^is true expedeenct. — That only is right which is 
according to God's Will. 

YoTJ recollect that tlie last Lecture was on the Dream 
recovered^ and that its interpretation proved to us that 
God is indeed supreme in Providence as in IN^ature, and 
that human history, written by man's pen, is nothing but 
the echo of God's prophecy uttered by His prophets. The 
continuous fulfillment of those ancient prophecies in the 
times that roll past befare us is one of the strongest proofs 
that the prophets were indeed holy men, and spake in 
Umespasi as they were moved thereto by the Holy Ghost. 



"EAB-MAa."—" SUBLIME PORTE." I39 

Daniel's whole career shows that he was a man of singular 
sincerity, hnmilitj, and piety. He was an earnest, hard- 
working, close-thinking man. He was a diligent student 
of the Holy "Writings of his nation, and a close observer 
of the ways of Providence. In this chapter his own nar- 
rative is suspended, to tell ns what happened to his friends 
for their fidelity to God. 

Daniel was promoted to distinguished honors. Great 
gifts were bestowed upon him, and he was made JRdb- 
Mag, that is, chief of the learned order, and the civil 
government of the metropolitan province of Babylon was 
committed to him. Probably this was necessary to enable 
him — being a foreigner and of an adverse religion — ^to 
maintain his authority. He held a plurality oflace, such 
as in Great Britain would comprise both that of Lord 
Chancellor and Minister of the Home Department. Dan- 
iel's successor now in the East is called the " Grand 
Yizier" of Persia or of Turkey. 

Daniel sat in the gate of the Tcing — i. e.^ he was the 
confidential adviser of the king, and chief officer in the 
palace. " Judgment in the gate," " Honored among the 
elders in the gate," and such expressions, occur frequently 
in the Scriptures. You know that the gate of a city, in 
ancient times, was the place from which justice was dis- 
pensed. It was a strong place, and well guarded. You 
also know that the government of the Turkish empire is 
frequently referred to as the " sublime Porte." Porte is 
from Lsitm— porta, which means a gate. This retention 
of an ancient Oriental custom in a modern tongue, as at 
Constantinople, the capital of the Turkish empire, is a 
link connecting the world that now is with the rites and 



140 LECTURES ONi DANIEL. 

customs of a world that is past away. One of the most 
curious and suggestive sights a traveler now meets with 
in the Levant is the struggling of the new Western World 
for an introduction to the aged Orient. The Frank's coat 
and the Fez cap are in conflict on the soldier of Stamboul. 
Constantinople itself is half European and half Asiatic — 
partly new and partly old ; and while Europe is striving 
to enter Asia and China from the "West, young America 
from the farthest West knocks imperatively at their east- 
ern gates. It is the will of GocL 

Daniel's honors and the rewards of his friends were of 
short duration. Yesterday they were objects of royal 
homage, and courtly gifts were bestowed upon them ; to- 
day the same men, and without any cause on their part 
for such a change of treatment, are the objects of fury 
and vengeance. Surely it is a vain thing to trust in 
princes. Yain is the help of man. 
*Eead verses 1 to 7. The image is set up. 

Nebuchadnezzar was the iJ^apoleon of his age. He was 
a man of vast ideas and of vast undertakings. His wealth 
and power enabled him to gratify a most towering ambi- 
tion. He consolidated a vast empire, comprising many 
different nations. These nations had different gods and 
different forms of religious service. Being supreme in 
the State, he determined to be supi>eme in the Church 
also. He was another Henry YHI., as to the religion of 
his subjects. He resolved to enforce religious conformity 
— to make his god supreme over the consciences of his 
people, as he was himself supreme over their persons and 
property. To bring about this obedience to and honor of 
his god, he set up a vast golden image of him in the plain 



KELIGIOUS CONFORMITY. 141 

of Dura, and required that, at a signal given by bands of 
music, all the persons assembled in the vast plain at the 
time of the dedication should fall down and worship it. 
All the inhabitants of his empire could not assemble at 
his capital, nor fall down and worship the image in the 
plain of Dura. The governors, therefore, of the different 
provinces of the empire, who where representatives of the 
different conquered nations at the court of Babylon, were 
summoned to assist at the ceremony of the dedication. 

It is not necessary to dwell on the nature of the several 
offices and posts occupied by the several distinguished 
personages named in the narrative. The governors of the 
different provinces, no doubt, answer to the satraps of the 
ancient Persian empire, and to the pashaws of the Turkish 
empire of the present day. Then, as now, they were 
generally natives of the provinces they governed. Their 
assistance at the dedication, as representatives of their 
respective nations, and cities, and countries, was proof of 
their Qubjection politically to the 'King of Babylon and of 
their religious conformity to the state religion of Babylon. 
Provincial governors are represented in the Assyrian 
sculptures in the garbs of their different nations, and are 
easily distinguished by their bearing the model of a city 
as a symbol of their office. The books and drawings of 
these monuments sometimes represent a distinguished 
personage bearing two such models, one in each hand, 
and these are supposed to have been governors of two 
adjacent provinces, or of one province containing two im- 
portant cities. 

Other and various motives have been assigned to 
^Nebuchadnezzar for setting up this great golden image, 



14:2 LECTURES OK DA^^EL. 

But it seems clear that his object was to promote tha 
worship of his god, in whose likeness this image was 
made. The Assyrian inscriptions discovered by Botta 
and Layard, and read by Major Eawlinson and Hincks, 
show that this people were very zealous in promoting the 
worship of their godj Assarac, among conquered nations. 
Contrary to what was once the prevailing opinion, it now 
appears, from Kawlinson's reading of the l^ineveh in- 
scriptions, that religious propagandism by the sword was 
known in the East long before Mohammed. The inscrip» 
tions show conclusively that the Assyrians showed little 
respect to the religious creeds of the nations they con- 
quered ; but wherever they went they destroyed their 
idols, and endeavored to force upon them the worship of 
their own.* 

We are not without historical confirmation of the nar- 
rative as to the existence of gigantic idols of gold among 
the Babylonians. Herodotus writes, that in his day there 
was at Babylon an idol image of gold twelve cubits high ; 
and, what is still more rem.arkable, another authority, 
obviously speaking of the same statue, mentions that 
every stranger was obliged to worship it before he was 
allowed to enter the city.f Diodorus Siculus mentions 
an image found in the temple of Belus forty feet high, 
which some think was the same as the golden image of 
Nebuchadnezzar. Other images almost parallel in mag 
nitude are mentioned in history. The Colossus of Nero 

See Kitto on the Prophets for the quotations of these inscriptions, p. 
91, 92, 
\ Kitto quotes PhUostratus, De Vita Apollon, ch, 19, for this, 



COLOSSI OF RHODES AND OF NERO. 143 

was one hundred and ten feet high. The Colossus of 
Ehodes was seventy cubits high, and was considered one 
of the seven wonders of the world. According to classic 
story, it took thirteen years to construct this colossus; 
and on its being thrown down by an earthquake, so great 
was its weight, it plowed up the ground, and buried itself 
under the ground. These historical facts show that such 
images were not unusual, and that it was not impossible 
to construct such by ancient art. The Colossus of ]^ero 
and of Rhodes were not, however, of gold ; nor do we 
suppose that the image of ITebuchadnezzar was of solid 
gold. It must have been either hollow, or made of wood 
and covered with gold. It does not appear that the 
ancients made any but small images of solid gold. The 
proportions of this image are- out of order, unless we 
understand the height to include the thickness of the 
pedestal, which it seems to me we should do. The in- 
stricments of music in verses 5 and 7 have Greek names. 
This is thought to indicate that they were brought from 
Tyre when E"ebuchadnezzar conquered that city, and that 
they %ere introduced into Tyre by Greeks. Tyre was 
renowned for its instruments of music. 

It is thought that we have in this chapter the first in- 
stance in the Bible of the division and measurement of 
time by hours. We come now to the 

ACCTTSATION AND THE PUNISHMEin'. 

Read verses 8 to 25. 

The penalty for not worshiping the golden image was 
death, by being cast into a hurning fiery furnace. Burn- 
ing alive for heresy is not, therefore, original with the 



144 LECTUKES ON DAOTEL 

Jesuits. It was a very ancient punishment of the body, 
by father confessors, to save the souL But have we any 
proof that such a mode of punishment was used in Baby- 
lon ? In the Bible (Jer., xxix., 22) we are told that the 
King of Bahylon roasted ZedeTdah in the fire. Sir John 
Chardin tells us that it is not long since such a custom 
prevailed in Persia, the great repository in modern times 
of ancient usages. He says, " There is still a particular 
way of putting to death those who have transgressed in 
civil affairs : as by causing a dearth, or by selling above 
the prescribed rate by means of a false weight, or who 
have committed themselves in any other way. The cooks 
are put upon a spit, and roasted before a slow fire. Dur- 
ing the dearth of 1688, I saw ovens heated in the royal 
square of Ispahan to terrify the bakers, and to deter them 
from deriving advantage from the general distress." The 
principle acted upon was to punish crime in hind. Cooks 
were to be cooked, and bakers baked. 

Some of you may remember that we found in a former 
lecture, on the respective modes in which capital punish- 
ments are recorded in this book, an evidence of Daniel's 
truthfulness as a historian. While casting into a heated 
furnace was a cruelty practiced only by the Chaldeans, 
casting into a den of wild beasts was a punishment pecu- 
liar to the Medes and Persians ; and this is precisely what 
Daniel says. Under the Chaldeans his friends are cast 
into a fiery furnace, while he was himself thrown into a 
den of Hons by the Medo-Persians. 

There are two things that strike us here as worthy of 
notice : 

First, that we have a state religion persecuting the 



POPERY ANCIENT.— EUNUCHS. 145 

people for their religious opinions, and threatening them 
with death if thej do not comply with its decrees. It 
was not that their ministers should be turned out of their 
manses and their livings taken from them ; but thej 
themselves were to be burned alive if they did not obey 
the royal mandate. The second thing that strikes us is 
the measures taken io pojpularize the king's religion, and 
persuade the people to embrace it. These measures were 
two-fold. They were seductive and minatory. They 
were directed to the sensual tastes and natural fears of 
man. If the voluptuous swells of music from all kinds 
of instruments could not cause the people to fall down 
and worship Bel, why then the furnace was to do its 
work. And have we nothing like this in our times? 
Does not the devil use great adroitness and large sums 
of gold to monopolize the best music ? Where but in the 
theatre are the best voices that nature, God, and culture 
can produce ? Where but in Popish cathedrals do we 
find singers maimed of their vital organs, that they may 
have voices to imitate angelic choirs ? Where do we find 
ceremony, pomp, a ad music — a gorgeous pageantry de- 
signed to strike the senses of the rude and ignorant? 
Where do we see processions with images, before which 
all men must uncover their heads and bow down, and 
remain prostrate till the image passes ? Where is the 
penalty, confiscation, exile, or death, for not worshiping 
the God of heaven according to the decrees of eccle- 
siastical states ? The king desired these young men to 
conform to his decree, but did not prove to them the truth 
of his religion. Mohammed demanded tribute or the 

Koran. Papal governments give no instruction to the 

10 



146 LECTURES ON" DANIEL. 

people further than to subject them to the sway of the 
priesthood. All their machinerj, frora beginning to end, 
is to enslave the people to blind submission to the priest- 
hood. 

When the three young men refused to worship the 
golden image at the sounding of the music, and gave a 
faithful testimony in favor of their God, and avowed their 
belief that He was able to deliver them even from " the 
burning fiery furnace," the king was so enraged that he 
caused the furnace to be heated seven times more than 
it was wont to be heated." The phrase, heated seven 
times more^ proves that this kind of punishment was 
frequent, and that the furnace was the usual instrument 
for such executions. Whether seven times is to be un- 
derstood literally and exactly, or, according to a common 
usage of speech, seven, a definite term, is used for an 
indefinite one, and means many times, is a question of 
no importance. We have instances in ancient languages 
and in our day of the use of definite numerals for large 
numbers, without meaning to be precise. We say a 
hundred times as great, or a hundred times as many, 
meaning a great many times more. The literal meaning 
is not to be urged here. It signifies intensity. The 
means of giving seven-fold heat to the furnace were very 
easy in that country. The whole soil of Babylon to this 
day, according to Mr. Kich* and others, is full of naphtha 
and bitumen. They had only to collect the brushwood 
of the forests, and cast in plenty of this naphtha and bit- 
umen, just as our steam-boat men do rosin and bacon into 

* Rich's Babylon and Persepolis. London, 1839. 



FIRE THAT WOULD NOT BURN. I47 

their furnaces, and the heat — even severi-fold, would soon 
be produced. The infidel objection about the size and 
shape of the furnace is scarcely worth a remark. It was 
not necessarily like a modern brick-kiln, a solid, inclosed 
building with brick or stone walls, and with only one 
aperture for putting in wood, and vent holes above for 
the emission of smoke and flame. The furnace of Baby- 
lon was probably a simple inclosure of fire, or an area of 
fire, surrounded by a low wall, without a covering, into 
which the victims were thrown, bound hand and foot. 
The savage Indians of the northwest could teach such 
skeptics how it was that the strong men who threw in the 
Hebrews were burned by being caught in the flames, and 
how the king could easily have seen the furnace, and 
looked into it, even from his palace windows. 

But let us see who were the real victims. So fierce was 
the flame, we are told, that the strong men were destroyed 
who were employed to throw the young men, bound, into 
the fire. What an awful pause and shuddering must 
there have been as the spectators strained their eyes to 
see how the sea of fire would roll over and consume these 
victims of the king's wrath ! But to the king's astonish- 
ment, he sees the young men moving safely amid the 
flames, which had power only to burn their bonds, but 
could not hurt a hair of their heads, or so much as singe 
their clothing. Even " the smell of fire had not passed 
upon them." The witticisms of Eichorn and others at 
the gigantic disproportions of the king's image, and at the 
Ji/t'6 of Daniel that would not turn, fall very naturally, of 
course, into the hands of those who deny all supernat- 
uralism in the Bible. The whole difiiculty about the dis- 



14,8 LECTURES ON DAMEL. 

proportion of the image is remoYed, as we have seen, hj 
including tlie pedestal in the height ; and the whole diffi- 
culty about the fire that would not burn is explained bj 
remembering that the flame did what infidels do not, 
recognized the presence of Him that made it, and bowed 
reverently to the authority of Him in whose hands are 
the winds, and waves, and all the elements and jDowers 
of nature. The flame lost its power to consume, simply 
because it was commanded to do so by Him that kindled 
it at the first. 

There were many flattering a/rguments which these 
young men might have urged against the conviction of 
their earlier education, and in favor of complyiug with 
the king's command, which they did not urge, nor even 
seem to have allowed to have so much as a moment's con- 
sideration. They might have said — but they did not so 
say — that it was their duty to obey the king, and worship 
the image, for this was the established religion of the em- 
pire. They chose to obey God rather than man. They 
believed, what we enjoy, that the worship of God should 
be free and unfettered, according to the prescriptions of 
that conscience which governments and tyrants can 
neither bind nor free, which laughs at fire and sword, 
and glories only in subjection to God as its Sovereign. 
God alone is Loed of the conscience. These young men 
might have urged also — ^but they did not do so — that it 
was most expedient to bow down and worship the image. 
Mark their situation. They were captives in the hands 
of an absolute Oriental monarch, who could take ofi" their 
heads at any minute, and no one ever ask why or where- 
fore. They were, moreover, advanced to ^ces of power, 



OLD CATECHISM.— DUTY SUPREME. 149 

where they were able, perhaps, to do many kind things 
for their suffering countrymen. The expediency-mongers 
of our day would have said, " It is indeed a distressing 
thing to bow down and worship the image ; but we hold 
places of power ; we have excellent salaries ; we may lose 
the means of doing good to our poor captive countrymen ; 
we will do so only once ; and besides, our parents and 
friends in our fatherland will never know it. Had we 
not better bow down the body, though we will not bow 
down the soul, to this golden image V But they did not 
parley thus. They remembered their old Hebrew Cate- 
chism, which had taught them that God had said to them., 
" Thou shalt not bow down to any idol gods, nor w^orship 
them." The matter touched their conscience. It lay 
between their souls and their Creator. They could not 
hesitate. Like Joseph, and like Daniel about the royal 
fare, they determined to do what was right, whether it 
seemed to be expedient or not. They could not do this 
great wickedness and sin against God. It is plainly 
taught in God's Holy Word that right is always true ex- 
pediency. It may not seem to be so ; but it will always 
be found so in the end. Do not, then, look before you 
nor behind you for a rule, nor compare yourselves with 
yourselves, but look to the law of God. "What does He 
command ? That you must do. Duty alone is ours ; all 
the region beyond is God's. He will take care of the 
issues of duty. 

]^or did these three Hebrew youths urge that they 
were compelled to obey the king's commandment because 
they were under great personal obligations to him. He 
had shown them much kindness, and heaped honors upon 



150 LEOTUEES ON DANIEL. 

them ; but their duty to God was stronger than gratitude 
to the king. Employers, parents, teachers, and bene- 
factors may lay you under great personal obligations ; but 
you must follow your conscience in the matter of religion. 
" He that loveth father or mother more than me cannot 
be my disciple.'' If you would be saved, you must take 
up your cross and follow Jesus. Do all you can to gratify 
your friends that is consistent with your duty to your own 
soul and your God, but do no more. 

ISTor did they nrge that they would be out of fashion, 
and marked for their singularity, if they did not worship 
this golden image. Singularity assumed for the sake of 
being singular or famous is contemptible, and indicates a 
weak mind ; but to be singular as a necessary result of 
not sinning as others do, is worthy of a Christian. This 
was the singularity of ISToah, of Moses, and of Daniel and 
his friends. When duty requires us to be singular, then 
we must not hesitate. Do not mind that the multitude 
are against you, if God be with you. " If sinners entice 
thee," God says, " consent not." " Follow not the multi- 
tude to do evil." "Not did these young men urge the 
terrible penalty to which they were exposed by disobeying 
the king's commandment. They might have said. It is a 
terrible thing to be cast alive into a burning fiery furnace. 
But they did not falter. The heat of the furnace was not 
so strong as their sense of duty. Is there any young man 
here to-night, who is saying to himself, " I would become 
a Christian : I wish to save my soul ; but if I do, I must 
give up such and such pleasures ; I must shut up my shop 
on Sunday, and quit my lake-rides on the Lord's day ?" 
And what if it does cost you all these pleasures to save 



NEGLECT NOT SALVATION. 151 

your soul ? Would it not be better to be thrown into the 
fiery furnace than to have both body and soul cast into 
hell fire forever ? " What shall it profit a man if he gain 
the whole world and lose his own soul ?" Your privileges 
are greater than those of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed- 
nego. You have heard of Calvary, its cross, its agony, 
its bloody sweat. The Gospel has unfolded to you its 
grace, glory, and riches. How then can you escape if 
you neglect so great a salvation ? "What will it profit a 
man in eternity to have had a few years of dissipation ? 
What will it profit a man to have kept his store open on 
Sabbath, and have worked late and early to acquire 
riches, and then — and then lie down and die, a poor, 
miserable, unpardoned sinner, and lift up his eyes in hell? 
Duty, conscience, responsibility, the soul, God and the 
Saviour will alone stand out as great, and blessed, and 
eternal realities in the judgment-day. 

But why, think you, did these young men refuse to 
obey the royal decree ? They could not obey it, because, 
jiTst^ of the force of their religious impressions. Secondly^ 
consistency of character and of profession forbade them to 
worship idols. They were Hebrews. They had avowed 
Jehovah to be their God. They could not obey the king 
without denying the God of their fathers. What satisfac- 
tion would it have been, think you, to their pious parents, 
who in their homes at Jerusalem had taken so much 
pains to instruct them in the law and in the worship of 
the true God, could they have seen how firmly their sons 
adhered to the principles they had implanted with so 
many fears, and tears, and prayers I Remember, young 
men, in all the vicissitudes of the world, that you are 



152 LECTURES OX DAITIEL. 

Americans, that you are Protestants, tliat yon are Chris- 
tians, l^ever allow yourselves to imbibe any creed or do 
any thing inconsistent with your birth, education, privi- 
leges, and destiny. 

Thirdly. These Hebrew youths refused, because they 
were sustained by the hope of deliverance. They do not 
seem to have had any special revelation on the subject. 
Their faith taught them that their God was able to deliver 
them. They believed in God's promises. They had learn- 
ed to trust in the promise of their parents' God to Isaiah : 
" When thou passest through the waters I will be with 
thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow 
thee. When thou walkest through the fire thou shalt not 
be burned, neither shall the flames kindle upon thee." 
They believed that God would make all things work to- 
gether for their good. 

IsTow let us consider 

THEIR DELIVEEAKOE. 

Eead verses 22 to 30. And who was this that walked 
with them in the flame. 

The king says : " Lo, I see four men loose, walking in 
the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt ; and the 
form of the fourth is like the Son of God." Xo wonder 
that he was astonished — ^that he was alarmed, and filled 
with remorse, and called upon the young men to come 
out of the fire ; and the whole court crowded around, and 
saw that the fire of the seven times heated furnace had 
no power upon those servants of God. It was natural 
that the king should conclude that Jehovah, the God of 
these Hebrews, was not a God that he could trifle with. 



SON OF GOD IN THE FLAMES. 153 

This conviction forced liim to respect the religion of the 
Jews in future, ^aj, he decreed " That every people, 
nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss 
against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, 
shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a 
dunghill ; because there is no other God that can deliver 
after this sort." 'Who was this Son of God, and how did 
E"ebuchadnezzar know any thing of the appearance of the 
Son of God ? It is agreed that the manifestations of God 
in the Old Testament were either types of the manifes- 
tations of God in human flesh in the person of Jesus 
Christ, or that, in fact, it was Christ himself who appeared 
to the patriarchs and prophets, as a pledge of his Incar- 
nation. But how did a heathen king come to have any 
notion of the second person of the Trinity ? We answer, 
he may have asked Daniel and his three friends many 
questions, and received much instruction from them con- 
cerning their religion, of w^hich no record is made. Dan- 
iel's superior wisdom, and the king's acknowledgment of 
Jehovah as the revealer of secrets, when Daniel told him 
his dream and its interpretation, must have excited his 
curiosity, if nothing more, to know something of their re- 
ligious doctrines and practices. 

But if Kebuchadnezzar had no such notions of the 
Messiah, he had notions of angels; and while it was 
Christ who walked with the Hebrews, the king may have 
mistaken him for an angel. The language is plural, and 
may be rendered like a son of the gods. This language 
indicated an angel or celestial intelligence. The proof 
that the inhabitants of this part of the Avorld believed in 
the existence and interference of such angelic beings is 



X54: LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

manifold. The Assyrian inscriptions depict such intel- 
ligences with wings. The king explains his language 
when he glorified God for having sent "his angel" to 
deliver his servants. 

The special lessons from the fiery furnace of Dura to 
young men of the nineteenth century are, I. In the cowr- 
teous hut firm refusal of these Hebrew youths^ we heme a 
model for them in less painful circumstcmces. The idea 
of heathen temples ancf of persecution unto death for re 
ligion's sake on American soil, are things that may well 
trouble us ; but both will become realities, unless the 
pure Gospel of Christ prevails. History, the present 
aspect of the world, the prophecies yet to be fulfilled, and 
the promises concerning the spread of the Gospel and the 
establishment of Christ's kingdom over all the world, in- 
dicate to our mind times of great commotion and peril. 
Even now we almost dread to receive the intelligence of 
the steam-ships from Europe. That we are to have gen- 
eral peace for many years, I do not believe. It certainly 
is not probable. That the next general war in Europe 
will involve the hatred of races and the cruel asperity of 
opposing religions, I think is certain. Our reading of 
the future of the Gospel Church teaches us to expect 
fiery trials. The sword, the dungeon, and the stake will 
yet have many, many victims. Young men, therefore, 
who are coming forward on the stage should seek en- 
larged, accurate intelligence on religious subjects, and 
strive to know the truth, that they may support correct 
views and high moral principles. They should prepare 
themselves to endure all manner of opposition rather 
than sacrifice principles. It may not be proper to de- 



THE BIBLE THE ONLY RULE. 155 

mand or expect of them in health and peace, when there 
is no opposition to their profession of Christ, the grace that 
would enable them to die for the Gospel. When God's 
providence calls for martyrs, then He will give grace 
sufficient for the crisis. The principle, however, must be 
well settled, that if the day comes when you are required 
to give up your liberty or religious freedom, or perish in 
the field of battle or at the stake, you would firmly prefer 
the latter. The prior point, in our times of freedom from 
persecution, is to become the true followers of Christ. 
To repent of our sins, believe in Him, and trust alone 
upon his most perfect righteousness, and take up our 
cross and follow Him by discharging all our duties to- 
ward God and man. Then, when the crisis comes to try 
our souls, God's grace will appear in our deliverance. 
There are not wanting authors and public teachers who 
argue that these young men should have complied with 
the wishes of the king, because the religion of Bel was 
the established religion of the empire. As loyal subjects, 
they should have embraced the same religion that was 
professed by their king. This is the old worm-eaten effete 
doctrine, that the government or the king is the head of 
the Church, and the keeper of the consciences of the peo- 
ple. Such is not the teaching of the Bible. The king- 
dom of Jesus Christ is not of this world ; nor has He given 
to any human power the authority of enacting laws for 
Him. The Sckiptures aee the only rule of faith. The 
mere fact that a religion, or a system of dogmas, meta- 
physical, political, or religious, is established by law 
throughout a country, does not make it true or false. 
Mor monism prevails in Utah ; if I go to the Salt Lake, 



156 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

must I turn Mormon ? Brahminism is the established 
religion of certain parts of India and China, must the 
English and Americans that go thither become Hindoos ? 
If you live in Constantinople, must you, therefore, become 
a Mohammedan ? If you live in Paris, is it right for you 
to become an Infidel, Papist, or Socialist ; or if in Ger- 
many, a Pantheist or a Protestant, simply because any one 
of these may be the established or prevailing creed around 
you ? It is monstrous to suppose that a man's duty to his 
Creator is to be decided by any such standard as this. 
The only authority binding on the conscience is the 
authority of God. There is no real power but that of 
truth. Wealth is power, talent is power, and knowledge 
is power ; but more mighty than all is truth. It is of God, 
and invested with His attributes of eternity, omnipotence, 
and 

It is the most potent element of social or individual 
life. It may be tossed upon the billows of popular fury, 
or cast into the seven-fold heated furnace of persecution, 
or be trampled to the dust by the iron heel of despotism ; 
but it is absolutely imperishable. " Hers are the eternal 
years of God." ISTor can those die who fall in her great 
cause : 

" The earth may drink their gore ; their limbs 
May sodden in the sun ; their heads 
Be hung on castle walls and city gates, 
But stiU their spirit walks abroad." 

All the resources of earth and hell cannot crush it, nor 
vitiate and poison it. It has never failed, and it never 
will. Cleave to it ; it is more than your life — it is your 
salvation. 



PEINCIPLES THE ONLY FOUNDATION. 157 

II. As Christian young men yoio h(we^ tTierefore^ the 
great consolation of knowing that the greatest efforts of 
the mightiest men are utterly unavailing against the Gos- 
pel of Christ. The most furious opposition to the Church 
, has only served to spread its principles, and to add new 
attractions to those that professed them. K-you will read 
history, you will see how insignificant are all the plans 
of the mightiest on earth against the Church of Christ. 
The gates of hell cannot prevail against it. The Hebrew 
youths walked amid the glowing furnace as amid groves 
of orange and myrtle. The fury of the king was disap- 
pointed, the party spirit of his ministers checked, and they 
that kindled the fire were themselves its first and only 
victims. All the power of earth and hell cannot burn out 
one single truth from God's word ; nor can all the popes 
and assemblies, cabinets, and armies on the globe add 
one single doctrine or precept to the Bible necessary to 
salvation. It is God's great law of the universe that all 
things shall, directly or indirectly, build up the truth, 
and work together for the good of them that love him ; 
and the greatest of all truths is the faithful sating, and 

WOKTHT OF ALL ACCEPTATION, THAT CHKIST JESIJS CAME INTO 
THE WOELD TO SAVE SINNEES, EVEN THE CHIEF, WHO BELIEVE 
IN HIM. 

ni. Learn then, and though this lesson has been taught 
before, I must repeat it, that teue expediency is teue 
PEiNciPLE. "Tlie path of duty is the path of safety." 
" Honesty is the best policy." It was so with Joseph. It 
was so with Daniel and his three friends. It has always 
been so with the great and the good. "Without sincerity, 
depth of conviction, and firmness in one's principle, there 



158 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

is no foundation for greatness. Let nothing, therefore, 
induce you to do a thing because it seems expedient un- 
less it also seems to be right; and remember that that 
only is right which is according to the will of G-od. And 
remember also, that the experience of the wisest and 
happiest, greatest and best men, teaches us that what 
God declares to be right is the highest possible expe- 
diency. He that walketh uprightly walketh surely. God- 
liness hath the promise of the life that now is and of that 
which is to come. 

Whatever God calls you to do or to suffer, fear not to 
obey. He will be with you in whatever he calls you to. 
K he calls you to enter the fiery furnace, hesitate not one 
moment. He will be with you, and either sustain you or 
deliver you, or make it conducive to your higher and future 
good. If you could go to Paradise itself upon any other 
rule than what is right, according to God's will, Paradise 
would become a Marah — a fountain of bitter waters only. 
The greatest prosperity, without God's blessing, is nothing 
but a curse — a very furnace seven times heated. God is 
always able and is always willing to deliver you. And 
remember, I beseech you, young men, in every place and 
under all circumstances, that if you put your trust in him 
he will deliver you in the way that shall be most for his 
glory and best for you. God never forgets his own. 
Mature is pliant in his hand. There is but one thing in 
the universe to be afraid of, and that is sin ; and God is 
faithful and just to forgive us our sins, if we confess them 
to him and sincerely repent of them, fok the blood of 

HK SON JESUS CHEIST CLEANSETH TJS EEOM ALL SIN" 



AN ACT OF FAITH. 159 



LECTUKE Yin. 

CAYILS AT THE KING's PROCLAMATION. 

On Dan., iv., 1-33. 

Auto da Fe at Babylon. — Objections to the King^s Proclamation. — Insufficiency 
of the Argumentum a Silentio. — Daniel does not profess to write a complete 
History qf Babylon nor of Nebuchadnezzar. — Webster. — George III. — Omis^ 
sions are not Contradictions. — Nothing improbable in this Proclamation. — 
Necessity of considering Infidel Objections. — Nobles hunting for tlie King. — 
Who built Babylon ? — Eclipse of Thales. — Wives bearing the King's Name. 
- — Description of Babylon. — Tunnel of the Euphrates. — Nebuchadnezzar's 
Greatness and Weakness. — Justness and Nature of his Punishment 

LESSONS. 

I. Beware of pride. 
TI. Insanity a great misfortune. 

III. Benefits of sanctified affliction. — Randolphs Letter. 
lY. Omniscience of God should comfort youth and old age. 

In the last Lecture we saw Daniel's tliree friends in 
the fiery furnace of Babylon, and heard of their deliver- 
ance by one whose appearance was like that of the Son 
of God. We were carried back to an auto da fe cele- 
brated on the banks of the Euphrates, in the plain of 
Dura, some two thousand ^yq hundred years ago. It 
was just such an act of faith as was witnessed about two 
hundred years ago in various cities of Italy, France, and 
Germany, and especially in Spain, and even in Great 
Britain. This act of faith was persecution unto death 
for the sake of religion. In the one case we are in the 
distant East, about six hundred years before Christ, and 



160 LECTURES ON DAlflEL. 

the head of the persecution is E'ebuchadnezzar, aided by 
his courtiers, and the victims are pious Hebrew captives. 
In the other case we are in Europe, about one thousand 
six hundred and fifty years after Christ, and the leader of 
tlie persecution is the Pope of Rome, aided by a college 
of Holy Inquisitors, who were priests, and the victims 
were hundreds of men and women, burned alive in the 
public market-places for no other sin than that they would 
not sm-render their conscience to the confessor and believe 
as he told them. The Saint Bartholomew Massacre and 
the revocation of the Edict of ISTantes are not yet forgot- 
ten, nor yet washed out from the history of France. All 
persecution for righteousness' sake — for religious opinion 
— ^is wholly irreconcilable with the Gospel of Christ. 
]N"ever can we pay the debt we owe for civil and religious 
liberty ; never should we forget to do to all others as we 
would that they should do to us. I refer to the auto da 
fes of the Old World to quicken our zeal for liberty of 
conscience and freedom to worship God, and not because* 
I cherish any unkind feelings toward any sect or party, 
political or ecclesiastical. But it is our duty to keep our 
eyes open to the dealings of Providence with us, and to 
the pages of history, and learn hence what principles to 
support. 

This chapter is a most remarkable one. It was written 
by ^Nebuchadnezzar himself, and sent as his royal pro- 
clamation unto all peOjple^ and nations, and languages 
that dvjell in all the earth. It is one of the most ancient 
decrees on record. It was copied, no doubt, by Daniel 
from the state papers of Babylon. 

Tlie fashionable criticism of the day has urged several 



KING'S MADNESS. 161 

objections to this chapter of Daniel, a few of which only 
seem to deserve serious consideration. 1. It is said that 
it is an utter improbahility that Nebuchadnezzar should 
have jjublished such a decree as this^ for it holds him u^ 
to the contempt of his subjects and to jpublic disgrace. To 
this it may be answered, we have the decree in the ori- 
ginal Chaldee in our Hebrew Bible, and in the Greek 
translation made at Alexandria about two hundred and 
eighty years before Christ. The language of the decree 
is just such as we are led to believe prevailed at Babylon 
in the time of E^ebuchadnezzar, and such as would in all 
probability have been used by him. The internal evi- 
dence for the truth of this proclamation is very strong. 
The proof of its genuineness and authenticity — that is, of 
its being the actual proclamation of the King of Babylon, 
and that it sets forth truth and not fiction — ^is as strong 
aSj in the nature of the case, it could be. Abydenus, a 
historian, who probably lived in the second century B.C., 
relates the story of ITebuchadnezzar's madness. And al- 
though his story differs in some minor points from the ac- 
count in Daniel, yet it is evident that he framed his story 
out of the traditions that reached him concerning the 
king's malady. 

The argumentum a silentio has been well called " one , 
of the most treacherous of all that encumber the logic- of 
history."* ]^o one at all acquainted with history, either 
ancient, Oriental, or modern, will dare to set up such , a 
standard as the test of historical truth in contradistinction 
to fiction. For example, no one supposes that the his- 

* Professor Stuart, page 121. 
11 



IQ2 LECTURES ON DANIEL, 

torical veracity of the writer of the book of Chronicles 
should be called in question because no mention is made 
by that writer of the adultery and murder committed by 
David, nor of the polygamy, sensuality, and idolatry of 
Solomon in his old age. It is easy to raise similar ques- 
tions in regard to the JN'ew Testament. For example, 
how could such miracles as that of the pool of Bethesda, 
or the raising of Lazarus from the dead, be passed over 
in silence by three of the Evangelists, and be recorded 
only by John ? As to the history of E'el)uchadnezzar, at 
best we have nothing but fragments. The Bible does not 
profess to give us a full account of all the wars and works 
of his long reign. Daniel writes of this king only what 
related to himself, and his countrymen, and prophecies. 
Jeremiah and Ezekiel died before the close of his reign, 
and of course have left nothing concerning it. The Scrip- 
tural history of this great king is confined to the early 
part of his reign. And Herodotus, who writes so much 
about Babylon, never mentions ISTebuchadnezzar, nor does 
he speak at all of his great expedition to Egypt. Josephus 
and Eusebius, who have brought together all they could 
find about ITebuchadnezzar, mention only six writings 
which recognized him, and in no two of these is there a 
perfect agreement. There is, I believe, no essential con- 
tradiction between them ; but while one relates one thing 
and speaks of one part of his reign, another speaks of a 
different part of his actions in a different part of the 
world. The Phenician annals merely mention his attack 
on Phenicia. Another account speaks of his besieging 
Tyre. The fragments of his history in the Bible speak 
of his wars upon Syria, and of his connection with the 



OMISSIONS NOT CONTRADICTIONS. 163 

Jews. It is unreasonable to expect tliat all the facts 
mentioned in one account of a great man must be men- 
tioned, in all the other accounts of his life. Because one 
of the compilers and authors of a life of the sage of Marsh- 
fieldj in giving to the public what he knew, heard, and 
saw of the late Daniel Webster, omits what another heard 
and saw, and gives in his own way to the public, it does 
not follow that either of them forces upon the public a 
pure fiction. Suppose a historian, writing the history of 
George III. during a long and eventful reign, and being 
confined to a few pages, should omit to speak of this 
king's madness, and the particulars of the interim re- 
gency, would it follow that his history was a fable or a 
fiction, and that George the Third was never afflicted 
with such a malady, and that there was no regency in 
his reign ? Here, then, let us settle once for all, that mere 
omissions in historia/ns are not contradictions^ nor proofs 
of fiction. Acknowledged truthful history abounds with 
omissions. Manetho, and the great writers generally, for 
instance, celebrate the victory of Pharaoh-nechoh, over 
the Israelites at Megiddo, but they do not tell us of his 
defeat at Carchemish. The plain reason is that Manetho 
did not wish to wither the laurels of his hero. "What 
Persian historian acknowledges the defeat of Xerxes by 
the Greeks, or of Darius by Alexander in Asia ? Where 
is the English historian that acknowledges manfully the 
defeat of the eighth of January, or the French writer who 
details the disasters of Waterloo ? In the gallery devoted 
to all the glory of France at Yersailles, there is no picture 
of Waterloo. A nation's monuments, pictures, and his- 
torians preserve only its glory. For this reason Josephus 



IQ4: LECTURES 0^ DANIEL. 

savs nothing of the golden calf or of the brazen serpent ; 
and for the same reason, perhaps, no monument on the 
Xile tells ns the particulars of the Hebrew bondage and 
deliverance from Egypt. As to national disasters, the 
rule with great and proud nations is to speak no evil of 
the dead. 

But after all, is it indeed so improbable that Nebuchad- 
nezzar would have been unwilling to publish &uch a de- 
cree ? This act is in harmony with his character. If any 
thing could humble his pride, what he had suffered must 
have done so. The impression on his mind from Daniel's 
character and the interpretation of his dreams, and their 
exact fulfillment, must have been very strong. It is un- 
reasonable, therefore, to suppose that he was willing to 
publish such a decree as might lead his subjects to do 
what he himself did— p^^aise the most High, ami achiovj- 
ledge Ms dominion over all things ? The very first thing 
to which all strong emotions of penitence lead, is ample 
confession of sin and reparation ; and is it not probable that 
even Nebuchadnezzar became truly penitent ? Certainly 
he felt deep regret for his pride and haughtiness, and a 
strong sense of humiliation. The state of mind in which 
the historian presents the king leaves no room for selfish 
and honor-saving devices. From the ardor and intensity 
of his emotions, from the energy and earnestness of his 
character, and from the nature of true penitence, we 
should have expected Nebuchadnezzar to do just as Dan- 
iel says he did do. And besides, may not the providence 
of God have been exerted to procure such a proclamation 
from such a hero and conqueror, who had advanced his 
country to the highest pinnacle of dominion and fame ? 



SCALIGER'S CHARACTER OF THIS KING. 165 

W ould not sucli a proclamation have a powerful influence 
on tLie minds of tlie Babylonians, and induce tliem to 
treat the Hebrew exiles among them with more respect 
and kindness ? and does not the testimony of such a man, 
under such circumstances, convey to us in these ends of 
the earth some exceedingly important lessons ? It is not 
impossible for Major Rawlinson to find a copy of this 
very decree amid the ruins of the Euphrates, and identify 
the ]^ebuchadnezzar of Daniel, and confirm in every par- 
ticular the Bible narrative of his reign. This appears the 
less impossible, since he has actually made out from the 
inscriptions on the great Assyrian bull the truth of the 
Bible account of Senacherib's campaign against Heze- 
kiah. The learned Scaliger and other writers quote a 
fragment of an ancient historian of the days of the Baby- 
lonian empire, who gives some account of the wonderful 
things that befell this king. He was a man of impulses, 
of strong passions, and of a haughty spirit, but, when the 
storm of passion had blown over, capable of vast under- 
takings and susceptible of generous impulses. It is not 
Nebuchadnezzar as the head of a great empire, nor as a 
mere conquering general, who speaks in this chapter, but 
ISTebuchadnezzar as rebuked, punished, disciplined, in- 
structed, and made to feel that he was powerless in the 
hands of an all-wise and overruling Providence. His 
proclamation is a singular testimony of his susceptible 
and variable temper, and vast conquests. It must have 
been issued near the close of his life and reign. It is the 
last account we have of him in the Bible. 

2. Again, it is said, if Nebuehadnezzcdp ran wild with 
the leasts^ how could his nobles seek after him^ and know 



166 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

where to find him^ or Jcnow when his reason returned^ or 
know vjhether it returned at all f I have scarcely pati- 
ence to notice such pitiful and insignificant criticisms, 
and the less so because thej are made in ignorance of the 
language of the text, though made by men who profess 
great learning ; and yet I suppose it is best to consider 
them, for you are aware that the tendency of our times 
is to extract the life out of the Bible by criticisms and 
sophistries. It is too late in the age of the world to deny 
the Bible its place as a history; therefore the mode of 
attack now usually made is to impeach the correctness 
of our translation, or to destroy its spirituality and in- 
sured authority, or to teai' out all of the miracles, the dis- 
tinguishing works of Christ as the Son of God, and all 
Divine influence. 

The isms out of the Church and the infidelity in the 
Church agree in this mode of attack. It is necessary, 
therefore, to strengthen our defenses by removing objec- 
tions to the sacred text, and to prove the truth of the great 
doctrines taught in the Bible. But to return to the mat- 
ter in hand. When it is said that his nobles sought for 
him, it is not meant that they hunted for him as for a lost 
animal. When Arioch, in chap, ii., v. 13, is said to have 
sought after Daniel to kill him — the term is the same in 
the original — the meaning is not that Daniel had either 
run away or concealed himself. Such was not the fact. 
The meaning is, that he made inquiry for him. And this 
is all that E'ebuchadnezzar's nobles did, as soon as they 
heard of his restoration to reason. No doubt his haunts 
were known, and that some kind of watch-guard was 
placed over him, whose business it was to look to any 



ROYAL MADNESS NOT UNUSUAL. 167 

exigency that might occur. His rank, popularity, and 
relations would certainly have secured for him, even in 
his madness, such attentions ; and when his mind was re- 
established he would, of course, return to his home and 
his friends. There was no need of hunting him out of 
the forest. It often happens that persons who have fallen 
into a mania which lasts for years come suddenly to the 
consciousness of the state and circumstances they were in 
when attacked by the malady ; the intervening period is 
entirely lost. 

Tlie fantastic representations of j^ebuchadnezzar that 
are sometimes made, founded upon a forced literal inter- 
pretation of the text, do not deserve consideration. The 
text needs no illustration nor proof from heathen hydras, 
chimeras, centaurs, and the like. Stripped of its gorgeous 
Oriental costume, the narrative is easily explained. The 
meaning is not that he became an ox or an eagle, but 
fancied himself such, and resembled them in his habits 
and residence. Madmen have often acted over scenes 
just like those here described. 

As to the objection about the length of time that the 
king was mad — till seven times jpassed over him — only a 
few words need be said. Calvin thinks that seven is here 
an indefinite number employed to denote a considerable 
period. The term is often so used. The idiom of the 
book forbids that we should res^ard the times of the text 
as astrological periods^ as Havernich does. 

But why object to the term of seven years? Surely a 
seven years' madness is not so unusual a thing, even 
among crowned heads, as to throw a suspicion on the re- 
cord. Xor is this the only case in which men have ima- 



168- LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

gined themselves to be beasts ; nor, alas ! it is the only 
case in which men have made themselves like beasts. 

And the kingdom, for even seven years, could have 
been preserved for him, and his affairs have gone on as 
usual. The extent of his conquests and the durability of 
his power show that he was a man of promptness, de- 
cision, and disciiDline, and it is probable, therefore, that 
his state affairs were all in a prosperous condition when 
his madness began. 

3. Again, it is said that it is not true that Nebuchad- 
nezzar huilt Babylon. It is of very little consequence 
whether he did or not, so far as the integrity of the text 
is concerned. Daniel is not responsible for the truth of 
what JSTebuchadnezzar said, but only for giving us a cor- 
rect report of what the king did say. If it is an error, it 
is the king's fault, and not Daniel's. The inspiration of 
the Bible is not responsible for the matter and manner of 
the speeches of Job's friends, nor for the words of Jethro, 
nor for the letter of Claudius Lysias to Governor Felix, 
nor for the decrees of ISTebuchadnezzar, nor of the Persian 
kings. It has pleased God to have these and other simi- 
lar things spread on the pages of Eevelation for our in- 
struction ; but the prophets and apostles are not fairly 
chargeable with the errors of the speeches which they 
merely report. 

But let us look a little at the case in hand. 

From the Bible we gather that E'ineveh was standing 
609 B.C., but had fallen in the year 605 B.C. It was 
taken and destroyed by Cyaxares, who formed an alliance 
with l^abopolasar, king of Babylon, about the year B.C. 
606. This Nabopolasar was the father of ISTebuchadnez- 



FOUNDING OF BABYLON. j^gg 

zar. And from this time Nineveh ceased to occupy any 
place in prophecy or in the history of the world. With 
the fall of Nineveh the history of all Assyria and Media 
is merged into that of Babylon, and with Nebuchadnezzar 
as its king commences the grand era of Babylonian great- 
ness. After the capture of Nineveh, Nitocris is named as 
the wife of Nebuchadnezzar and queen of Babylon by 
Herodotus, and mother of Nabonnadius. This passage 
of Herodotus agrees with the history of Daniel as to facts, 
and gives us in addition some of the names of the king 
and queen, which are omitted by him. It is to Nebuchad- 
nezzar and to his queen, a Median princess, that ancient 
authors ascribe most of the great works for which Baby- 
lon was renowed.* Herodotus says that the son of Nito- 
cris was called Labynitus, after his father. He was also 
called Nabonnadius. It was against him that Cyrus 
marched in 538 B.C. Nabonnadius or Labynitus II., of 
Herodotus, is therefore the Belshazzar of the Bible. 

I have before alluded to the use of astronomy in ascer- 
taining the precise year of important events. As, for 
example, when Plutarch tells us that Romulus founded 
Rome in the year of the great eclipse in Italy, we have 
only to reckon back on the Planetarium, and we shall 
find the year, month, day, and hour of that eclipse. So 
we can come near to the year of the rise of Nebuchad- 
nezzar by considering the eclipse predicted by Thales. 
The truth of this prediction is admitted by modern astron- 
omers, and they tell us that it took place 610 B.C. Now 
it happened that the great battle between Cyaxares and 

* Yaux's Nineveh, and Persepolis, p. 42. 



170 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

his enemies, wMcli immediately preceded tlie fall of 
Mneveli and the rise of Babylon, was fought on the day 
of Thales' eclipse. This eclipse caused the contending 
armies to separate, from fear of the vengeance of the 
gods, and a peace was made, and one of the mediators 
was N"ebuchadnezzar — Labynitus I., king of Babylon. 

It is true, tiien, that Babylon existed before the time of 
E'ebuchadnezzar. Its foundation may be traced back to 
the Tower of Babel and to the time of Mmrod. But it 
is true, also, that nothing now remains of the old city that 
existed before ISTebuchadnezzar. Major Eawlinson tells 
us that not only Babylon, but the whole region around is 
full of ruins having his great name ; but no ruins are 
found prior to his reign. You recollect it was a custom 
in Egypt to inscribe the name and titles of the monarch 
and of the builder of the pyramids on the stones used in 
their construction ; so it was a custom in Babylon, as it 
was no doubt with the Assyrians, to stamp the brick 
used in building their cities with the name and titles of 
the royal founder ; and the hope is entertained that the 
bricks collected from different sites on the Tigris and 
Euphrates may enable us to reconstruct the chronology 
of that country. It is stated to be a fact, that every ruin 
in Babylon proper, in an area of about one hundred miles 
iu length, and thirty or forty in breadth, has its bricks 
stamped with the name of JSTebuchadnezzar. Eawlinson 
states that he has examined himself the bricks in situ 
belonging to about one hundred different towns, and that 
he has never found any other royal name than that of 
I^ebuchadnezzar, son of Nabopolasar, king of Babylon. 
A. vast number of these brick inscriptions is in the India 



DESCEIPTION OF BABYLON; IJl 

House in London, showing tliat K"ebiicliadnezzar built a 
great many cities. The extent and number of the cities 
which he built would " almost pass belief on any evidence 
less conclusive ; and certainly the necessity of finding in- 
habitants for the numerous towns built by him supplies a 
new and interesting motive for his zeal in sweeping the 
population of Judah, and doubtless of other conquered 
nations, into this quarter." — Kitto. 

Though Nebuchadnezzar was not the actual founder of 
Babylon, yet he might be said to have been the builder 
of the city as it was in his day. When a great prince 
adds new buildings to those already existing, he is said to 
have built it. So in the Apocryphal Judith, it is said 
Phraortes built a very strong city and called it Ecbatana^ 
when it is clear the meaning is, that he only repaired, 
enlarged, and added to its buildings ; and so the Temple 
of Jerusalem, built after the return from captivity, is 
called Solomon's Temple, when the meaning clearly is, 
that it was modelled, built on the site of, and in part out 
of the materials of the old temple. ITebuchadnezzar 
greatly enlarged, improved, and adorned Babylon, and 
rebuilt large portions of it. Josephus and other old 
writers say that he adorned the Temple of Bel with the 
spoils he took in war ; that he embellished all that re- 
mained of the old city — made the triple wall of burned 
brick around it — erected a new and extraordinary palace, 
and raised stone terraces which had the appearance of 
mountains planted with various kinds of trees. The cel- 
ebrated hanging gardens were of similar construction. 
These terraces and gardens were erected, it is said, to 
gratify his Median wife, who desired to have in the dead 



172 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

level countiy of the Euphrates some scenery resembling 
that of her native country. The greatest wonder of Baby- 
lon was its temple of Belus and its palaces. These edifices 
alone are said to have occupied a space of nearly three 
miles square. The hanging gardens were immense par- 
terres formed on vaulted terraces, four hundred feet 
square, rising one above another to the height of the 
wall. These terraces were built of stone, and covered 
first with sheets of lead, then with a layer of bitumen and 
reeds, and finally with a thick coating of earth, out of 
which rose the different kinds of trees. On the topmost 
platform was a large basin filled with water, forced up by 
a powerful hydraulic engine from the Euphrates. But 
another w^ork still, that must have given strangers visiting 
Babylon a very high idea of ITebuchadnezzar's genius, 
was the passage, constructed of brick and bitumen, under 
the Eiver Euphrates. The Thames Tunnel is not so stu- 
pendous a work now as the tunnel of the Euphrates was 
in the days of !N^ebuchadnezzar. It is admitted, I believe, 
that the works ascribed to the fabulous Semiramis belong 
properly to this king. 

4. Let us now consider the humiliation of the Tcing^s 
funishment. (See verses 32, 33.) 

^Nebuchadnezzar was without doubt a very remarxable 
man, a man of vast ideas and of vast undertakings, and 
of almost uninterrupted successes ; and, on the whole, a 
much better man, I think, than people generally suppose. 
The lapse of ages is continually bringing to light new 
evidences, long hidden, indeed, of the eminence, of the 
power, and magnificence which the Scriptures ascribe to 
him. His misfortune was not that he was the most illus- 



THE KIKG'S PtJNISHMENT. 173 

trious prince of his age, and one of the most illustrious 
that the world has ever seen. His sin was not that he 
had genius, intellect, and wealth— not that he was vic- 
torious in battle, and absolute in influence, but that he 
was too conscious of his greatness. His sin lay in his for- 
getfulness of God— in ascribing all that he had achieved 
to the strength of his own arm and to the vastness of his 
own conceptions. When he looked on the magnificence 
of his city and on the vastness of his empire, and the 
multitudes of nations he had conquered, forgetting the 
Supreme Power by whom kings reign, and who had given 
him all he had, his heart was lifted up in pride, and the 
just punishment of Heaven fell upon him. 

"We may say that his pride was natural ; still it was 
criminal. He was the successor of the Assyrian kingSj 
whose monarchy was ancient and mighty ; and from the 
death of his father, [DTebnchadnezzar met with unparall- 
eled and most extraordinary success for many years« 

The glory of Cyrus, of Alexander, and of the Csesars 
never equaled the splendor of the kings of Babylon. 
Hence the head (himself) in his first dream, was of gold ; 
and in this second dream he is a tree in the midst of the 
earth, whose height reached unto heaven, and the sight 
thereof to the end of all the earth. But as he forgot God, 
the heavenly watchers cried, Hew down the tn^ee^ and cut 
off his hrcmches. (See verses 14-16.) 

The mind of a man was taken from him, and the mind 
of a beast entered into him. He rushed out into his great 
park on the banks of the river and mingled with the beasts 
that fed there, living upon the herbs of the field, fleeing 
from the sight of man and remaining exposed to all the 



174 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

vicissitudes of weatlier, day and niglit, summer and win- 
ter. 

Meanwhile, his son, Evil-merodach, governed as regent, 
and no doubt the king was looked after and protected as 
far as was necessary, or as his peculiar circumstances 
would allow. If he had built, in the days of his power, 
an insane asylum, he would no doubt have been put into 
it. The penalty was suited to the offense. The sin was 
special, so also was the punishment. Pride was the sin ; 
degradation was the punishment. As a general rule, 
punishment is just the rebound of sin. Generally speak- 
ing, sin may be traced out in the light of the punishment 
inflicted ; for God sends punishment not merely to reform 
the sinner, but also to reveal the odiousness of sin. Sin 
is the conductor that draws down the lightning of God's 
judgment. 

The severity of the king's suffering was much gi-eater 
than we can easily imagine in this climate. Think of a 
man whose body is relaxed by the heat, and its pores 
open, after being twelve hours in a blazing sun, ex23osed 
to a cold falling dew, so heavy as to saturate a tent like 
rain,* and you will have some idea of the king's condi- 
tion. 

* The day is hotter in "Western Asia, and the nights colder, than with us. 
While traveling in Arabia and Syria, I often found the heat most distressing 
at noon, and yet at night I required all the covering I had — a capote, quilt, 
and blanket. I often thought of Jacob's words in Gen., xxxi^ 40, "In the 
day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night." After the heat of 
a summer day, the cold and chilling winds and frosts of night in the neigh- 
borhood of the mountains of Asia are peculiarly severe. So well known 
and Striking are these contrasts, that they are referred to by the Arabs in at 
least two proverbs which are common among them. Of an unhappy man» 



PRIDE GOETH BEFORE DESTRUCTION". 175 

Observe also the suddenness of his punishment. One 
day, as he walked on the terraces or roof of his palace, in 
a burst of imperial pride he said, " Is not this great Baby- 
lon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom, by 
the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty ?" 
And while the word was still in his mouth, a voice from 
heaven said, " The kingdom is departed from thee !" 
Yerses 31-33. 

Finally^ let us attend to some of the lessons which this 
history of this remarkable proclamation of the king teaches 
to young men. 

FiEST. The fall of pride warms you of the sinfulness 
and danger of presumption and vanity. "Pride goeth 
before destruction." " Those that walk in pride he is 
able to abase." More on this point at another time. 

Secondly. It is a great misfortune to he deprived of 
reason. It is one of the greatest calamities that can befall 
men in this life. A great man is wont to say in his daily 
prayers, "Lord, deliver me from sudden death, hydro- 
phobia, insanity, and tetanus." The fame of JNTebuchad- 
nezzar filled the then known world, but the poorest beg- 
gar in the streets of his proud capital, or the liumblesi: 
peasant in his kingdom, was better off than he was in his 
insanity. You should be thankful, my young friends, for 
the use of reason and speech, and for the Sowings forth 
of liuman sympathy. These are all God's gifts to you. 
You should be careful not to impair your understanding 
by neglecting to use it, or by abusing it. The great 
causes of insanity are the letting of our mental faculties 

they saj, " The sun falls on his head by day, and the dew by night." " Ho 
is scorched by the sun, and made wet by the dew." 



176 LECTUHES ON DANIEL. 

rustj and the abuse of them by gluttony and drunkenness, 
and by the indulgence of violent passions and of excessive 
anxieties. You should do all you can to relieve such as 
are afflicted with this awful calamity. One of the best 
remedies against it is to be actively engaged in useful and 
honorable employments. Homes and personal comforts 
should be provided for the insane, as well as for all in- 
valids ; their thoughts should be drawn away from them- 
selves. It is a sure recipe for unhappiness to be selfish. 

Thikdlt. The Eang of Babylon testifies to the henefits 
of sanctified affliction. This is, indeed, a lesson verified 
from our experience, and from the general tenor of all 
Bible instruction. 'Eo doubt Kebuchadnezzar found, as 
David did, " It is good for me that I have been afflicted." 
He had been warned. He had been made to confess the 
superiority of Daniel's God to the gods of Babylon, when 
Daniel restored to him his lost dream and interpreted it, 
and had delivered his three friends out of the fiery fur- 
nace ; but still he had not submitted his proud heart to 
God. There are lessons in affliction that we never can 
learn in prosperity. When God hides the sun from us, 
he reveals to us a thousand suns by night. You know 
that on a sick-bed, or in the moment of an expected ship- 
wreck, in the hour of bitter and sorrowful bereavement, 
vows and resolutions are formed, which, if kept, would 
lead to great zeal in behalf of religion. Though bitter in 
the experience, yet the results of sanctified affliction are 
blessed. I have before me a letter, but recently publish- 
ed, from the brilliant but eccentric orator of Eoanoke, 
which bears in part on the subject in hand, and which, 
although many of you have doubtless read it, I will take 



EANDOLPH'S EEMARKABLE LETTER. 1^7 

the liberty of presenting to you. It/has rarely ever been 
surpassed for terms of tenderness and propriety. It was 
written by Mr. Randolpli to his half-brother on the occa- 
sion of the death of his eldest son. I earnestly commend 
all young men, but especially law students and honorable 
members of the Legislature and politicians, if there be 
any present, to give particular attention to the points of 
Christian doctrine advanced in this letter, and the trains 
of thought which it suggests. Mr. Randolph was without 
doubt one of the most brilliant and remarkable men this 
country has ever produced : 

"The father of Lord Russell, when condoled with 
according to form, by the book, replied, 'I would not 
give my dead son for any other man's living.' May this 
thought come home to your bosom, too, but not as the 
chimera of heated brains, nor a device of artful men to 
frighten and cajole the credulous, but as an existence 
that can be as much felt and understood as the whisper- 
ings of your own heart, or the love you bore to him that 
you have lost — may that Spirit, which is the Comforter, 
shed his influence upon your soul, and incline your heart 
and understanding to the only right way, which is that 
of life eternal ! Did you ever read Bishop Butler's Ana- 
logy ? If not, I will send it to you. Have you read the 
Book? What I say upon this subject I not only believe, 
but I know to be true, that the Bille^ studied with an 
humble cmd contrite hearty nemer yet failed to do its worJc^ 
even with those who, from idiosyncrasy or disordered 
minds, hawe conceited that they were cut off from its 
promises of a life to comeP 

" ' Ask, and ye shall receive ; seek, and ye shall find ; 

12 



178 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

knock, and it shall b.e opened nnto you.' This was my 
only support and stay during years of misery and dark- 
ness ; and just as I had almost hegun to desjMir^ after more 
than ten yea.rs of penitence and prayer^ it pleased God to 
enable me to see the truth^ to which^ until then^ my eyes 
had 'been sealed. To this vouchsafement I have made the 
most ungrateful returns. But I would not give up my 
slender portion of the price paid for our redemption — yes, 
my brother, our redemption, the ransom of sinners, of all 
who do not hug their chains and refuse to come out from 
the house of bondage — I say, that I would not exchange 
my little portion in the Son of David for the power and 
glory of the Parthian or Roman empires, as described by 
Milton in the temptation of our Lord and Saviour — not 
for all with which the Enemy tempted the Saviour of 
man. 

" This is the secret of the change in my spirits, which 
all who know me must have observed within a few years 
past. After years spent in humble and contrite entreaty 
that the tremendous sacrifice on Mount Calvary mdght not 
have been made in vain for me, the chiefest of sinners, it 
pleased God to speak his peace into my heart, that peace 
of God which passeth all understanding to them that 
know it not, and even to them that do. And although I 
have now, as then, to reproach myself with time misspent 
and faculties misemployed — although my condition hasy 
on more than one occasion, resembled that of him who, 
having one evil spirit cast out, was taken possession of 
by seven other spirits more wicked than the first, and the 
:fi.rst also, yet I trust that they too, by the power and 
mercy of God, may be, if they are not, vanquished. 



«THE BOOK," OR ATHEISM. I79 

**But where am I running to? On tlds subject more 
hereafter. Meanwhile, assure yourself of what is of small 
value compared with that of those who are a piece of 
yourself — of the unchanged regard and sympathy of your 
mother's son. Ah ! my God ! I remember to have seen 
her die, to have followed her to the grave, to have won- 
dered that the sun continued to rise and set, and the order 
of nature to go on. Ignorant of true religion, but not yet 
an atheist, I remember with horror my impious expos- 
tulations with God upon this bereavement — ' but not yet 
an atheist !' The existence of atheism has been denied, 
but I was an honest one. Hume began, and Hobbes 
finished me. I read Spinoza and all the tribe. Surely I 

fell by no ignoble hand. And the very man ( ) who 

gave me Hume's ' Essay upon Human Nature' to read, 
administered ' Beattie upon Truth' as the antidote ; Venice 
treacle against arsenic and the essential oil of bitter al- 
monds ; bread and milk poultice for the bite of the cobra 
capello. 

" Had I remained a successful political leader, I might 
never have been a Christian. But it pleased God that 
my pride should be mortified ; that by death and deser- 
tion I should lose my friends ; that, except in the veins of 
a maniac, and he too possessed ' of a child by a deaf and 
dumb spirit,' there should not run one drop of my father's 
blood in any living creature besides myself. The death 
of Tudor finished my humiliation. I had tried all things 
but the refuge to Christ, and to that, with parental stripes, 
was I driven. Often did I cry out with the father of that 
wretched boy, ' Lord ! I believe — ^help thou mine un- 
belief ;' and the gracious mercy of our Lord to this waver- 



180 LECTURES OK DANIEL. 

ing &itli, staggering under the force of the hard heart of 
unbelief, I humblj hoped would, in his good time, be ex- 
tended to me also. Mark, vii., 17-29. 

" Throw Revelation aside, and I can drive any man by 
irresistible induction to atheism. John Marshall could 
not resist me. When I say any man, I mean a man 
capable of logical and consequential reasoning. Deism 
is the refuge of those that startle at atheism, and can't 

believe Revelation, and my (may God have forgiven 

us both) and myself used, with Diderot & Co., to laugh 
it the deistical bigots who must have milk, not being 
able to digest meat. All theism is derived from Reve- 
lation — that of the laws confessedly. Our own is from the 
same source — so is the false revelation of Mohammed ; 
and I can't much blame the Turks for considering the 
Franks and Greeks to be idolaters. Every other idea of 
one God that floats in the world is derived from the 
tradition of the sons of Koah handed down to their pos- 
terity. 

'•But enough, and more than enough; I can scarcely 
guide my pen. I will, however, add that no lukewarm 
seeker ever became a Christian ; for ^ from the days of 
John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of Heaven suf- 
fereth violence, and the violent take it by force' — a text 
which I read five hundred times before I had the slight- 
est conception of its true application. 

" Your brother, 

"J. R., OF RoAJS^OKE. 
"To H. St. G. Tucker, Esq." 

FouBTHLT. You are here toMght the omniscience of God. 
The king was walking on his palace top, and he said to 



DIVINE OMNISCIENCE 18;l 

himself, "Is not this great Babylon that 1 have built?" 
And, at the end of days, he "lifted up his eyes' unto hea- 
ven." In both instances God was nigh unto him. He 
heard the thoughts of his heart in his pride, lad he heard 
the whispering of his soul in his penitence. Prayer iu 
equally powerful in the cabinet and in the hovel of straw. 
God sees as clearly the toilings of the slave as the labors 
of the statesman. God's eye is just as closely riveted 
upon you, young man, or upon you, young woman, as you 
pursue your occupation in the crowded city or seek a 
home in a strange land, as if you were the only individual 
in the universe. There is not a thought that flutters in 
your hearts — there is not a purpose in your mind formed 
for to-morrow or for the future — there is not a secret 
spring of wickedness arising in any bosom — there is not a 
design that is cherished in the secrecy of any heart, either 
for good or evil, that you can hide from God. His eye' 
pierces the darkness — His ear hears in silence — His laws 
and his presence are every where. He is the final Judge, 
who will bring every secret thing to light, and judge 
every man according to the thoughts of his heart, the 
words of his mouth, and the deeds of his body, whether 
they be good or whether they be evil. How solemn is 
the consideration that those thoughts which you wish to 
conceal from that person who sits beside you in the pew 
are known to God ; and your schemes, plans, and imagin- 
ations, that you would not disclose to a mother or a friend 
for all the world, are perfectly known to Him. How 
solemn is the reflection that all your vows and resolutions 
in times of danger, and on your sick-bed, are daguerreo- 
typed for the day of judgment. How can you meet all 



182 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

jour sins at the bar of God ? What an awful idea is this, 
that at the judgment- day a man's secret thoughts will be 
set in the light of God's countenance 1 What a fearful 
spectacle to an impenitent sinner to see all his sins rise 
with his body from the grave ! Is the doctrine of God's 
omniscience a source of alarm or of comfort to you ? 
Does the thought of God trouble you? Is there any one 
of you ready to say, " I am a wretch undone ; how can I 
escape the wrath of God? I am a guilty sinner!" Then 
hear what the Gospel says to you : " The Blood of Jestjs 
Chkist cleanseth its feom all sm." jEsrs Cheist came 

TO SEEK AND SAVE THE LOST. Amen. 



LESSONS FROM THE LAST LECTURE. 183 



LECTUKE IX. 



On Dan., iv. 

Moral Lessons in History do not prove that History Fiction. Sparks'' Wash- 
ington. — Proper End of all Government. — Prosperity is dangerous. — Scotch 
Fir-tree. — When Riches are safe. — Danger of Pride. — Flat Roofs in the East. 
— Lesson of all History is that Pride goeth hefore Destruction. — Luxembourg 
Picture of the Decadence of the Romans. — Money the Idol of the nineteenth 
Century. — Several Characters who walk in Pride. — Obstinacy of Pride. — It 
prevents Conversion to God. — Sunbeams only can melt the Icicle. — Salvation 
only by Grace. — Finally impenitent cannot escape. — God^s Providence gen- 
eral and special. — Preservation of Judah. — Angels in Charge of ilie Universe. 
— God has Purposes. — Man free Agent. — God warns before He smites. — A 
faithful Prophet and Minister of State. 

The lessons wHcli were drawn from the defense and 
teachings of the king's remarkable decree in the last lec- 
ture were, 

I. The sinfulness and danger of pride. 

II. That madness is a great misfortune, and conse- 
quently the use of our faculties calls for gratitude and 
their proper improvement. 

III. Tlie benefits of sanctified affliction. This is a pre- 
cious though painful lesson that all of us may learn. We 
all share in earth's sorrowings. The remarkable letter of 
John Randolph, of Eoanoke, was presented, condoling 
with his step-brother on the death of his son. In this 
letter, amid much that was tender and appropriate, you 
recollect this brilliant man bears his bold and decided 



184 LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

testimony to the divinity of Christ, the reality of His 
atonement for sin, the influence of the Holy Spirit, and to 
the old-fashioned doctrines of conversion to God and re- 
demption by the blood of Christ, and to the supreme 
authority of the Bible, and of the necessity of personally 
seeking religion with persevering earnestness. It is not 
true, then, that great and liberal minds have outgroT\Ti 
these doctrines. Let our law and medical students, and 
the members of our University, and our literary and poli- 
tical men, remember that America's great men have been 
not only believers in the Bible, but most of them decided 
and firm adherents to the doctrines and principles of the 
Westminster Catechism.* 

lY. A fourth lesson was the Omniscience of God^ as 
seen in his knowledge of the king's heart, and in the 
hearing of the king's prayer, as well as in the hearing of 
Daniel's prayer. 

You are aware that the fact that mokal lessoits are 
taught in the history before us is alleged as a reason for 
denying the historical truth of the book of Daniel, and for 
making it a mere romance or political satire. But it is 
difficult to see why or how the moral lessons of the nar- 
ratives and decrees should make the whole history a 
romance, l^or is there a single incident or shadow of 
proof that the book is a pious fraud. If the object of the 
book was, as these critics say, to represent the character 
and the doom of Antiochus Epiphanes, and to encourage 
the Jews to persevere in their opposition to that tyrant, 
why is there no mention of him? How comes it that 

* Many of the students of the University and of the members of the 
Legislature attended the dehvery of these Lectures- 



SPARKS' LIFE OF WASHINQTON. 185 

there is nothing in his life to correspond with the chapter 
before us? The points are not similar, but dissimilar. 
Antiochus Epiphanes was no otherwise a madman than 
as all tyrants are. His madness was from the vileness 
of his conduct and the insatiable cruelty of his heart, and 
not from any derangement of his intellect. Nebuchad- 
nezzar did not persecute the Jews for their religion. An- 
tiochus did, even to the last extremity. Nebuchadnezzar 
repented after his madness, and proclaimed his penitence 
to the world. Antiochus did neither. Both, indeed, were 
heathen kings, and both were zealots for idolatry ; but so 
were hundreds of other kings. There is, therefore, no 
speciality in his case to make him the subj ect. The parti- 
culars of this fourth chapter do not suit the life and death 
of Antiochus. And besides all this, we have proof, as I 
have shown before, of the existence of the book of Daniel 
long before Antiochus was born. Josephus boldly de- 
clares that Daniel wrote his book many years before the 
things happened which came to pass in the days of An- 
tiochus. It is readily acknowledged that the book of 
Daniel' has a moral and religious substratum. This we had 
a right to expect from his character, but it certainly does 
not follow that the historical part of it is not a true his- 
tory. There are many moral, political, and pious lessons 
to be learned from Sparks' Life and Writings of Wash- 
ington, but surely it does not follow that Sparks' Life of 
Washington is a political satire, or a religious romance. 

Read verses 1-19. It appears from the history that 
there was a class or order of men in the kino^dom whose 
business it was to interpret dreams, especially such as 
were supposed to be supernatural. History and the monu- 



186 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

ments of the Kile and the Euphrates tell us that such 
an order of dream interpreters existed generally among 
Oriental nations. The interpretation of the dream is given 
in verses 19-28, which please read. Let us continue our 
Lessons ; and, 

I. We see what should ie the end of all government. 
Yerses 11, 12. 

A great man is often symbolized by a tree in ancient 
and Oriental writers. The king's tree gave shelter to 
some, a home to others, and protection to all. As the 
shade and fruits of trees protect and support the beasts 
that seek shelter under them, so governments should 
protect and support their people. 

The end of every government should be the greatest 
possible amount of freedom and happiness to all the 
people. It should protect the weak, give shelter to the 
oppressed, hope and employment to the poor, and provide 
for the diffusion of useful knowledge. By the stump of 
the roots remaining is meant that his kingdom should not 
be destroyed or alienated from him during his affliction. 
A regent, probably his own son, Evil-merodach, governed 
for him during his insanity. 

II. This history teaches us another thing — that prosper- 
ity is dangerous. It is not always the beggar that loses 
his soul. The man who has just lost all his property is 
oftentimes not in as much danger as the man who has 
just gained a large fortune. It requires more care to 
hold a full cup than an empty one. Wealth is attended 
with ceaseless anxiety — anxiety to keep it, to preserve it, 
to increase it, to enjoy it, or to make a show of it, and 
anxiety, more or less, for the responsibility it imposes. 



DANGER Of PROSPERITY— SCOTCH FIR. ^g? 

" Adversity may depress, but prosperity elevates to pre- 
sumption." The accumulation of wealth for its own sake 
brings with it its own punishment in the drying up of 
every fountain of human affection within us, in the dis- 
ruption of every tie with which the charities of life are 
bound, and in the conversion of the heart into a substance 
" harder than the nether millstone." The hoarding up of 
riches is a curse both here and hereafter. Beware of 
eovetousness, saith the Bible, which is idolatry. It is my 
duty frequently to ask the prayers of the congregation for 
a member of the Church in deep affliction, for one who is 
sorely bereaved, or extremely ill, or otherwise in great 
distress. It is always agreeable to ask the prayers of the 
Church for any one that desires them, but it is often true 
that the members of the Church who are visited with 
great prosperity need prayers just as much, if not more, 
than those that are suffering adversity. On the lofty 
pinnacle, where all is sunshine, we need a special power 
to keep us, a special arm to sustain us. "The Scotch fir- 
tree," says one, " to my mind, is the best symbol of the 
Christian. The least of earth is required for its roots ; it 
finds nourishment in a dry soil, and amid barren rocks, 
and yet, green in winter as in summer, it towers the 
highest of all the trees of the wood toward the sky, and, 
with least of earth, makes the greatest approach to heaven. 
So it is with the tree of God's planting : with the least of 
earth about its roots, it towers the nearest to heaven; 
deriving nourishment not from the earth below, but from 
the sunbeams that fall upon it and the rain-drops that 
sprinkle it, supported by that hidden nourishment that 
comes from God," — Cumming. 



188 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

!N"eYer, perhaps, was there a time of more general pros- 
perity than the present. In all departments of business 
throughout the land, industry and enterprise are attended 
with unwonted success. Kail-roads and steam-ships are 
built, and commerce is carrying our influence over the 
world. The gold of California and of Australia, with the 
abundant products of the ground, promise an auspicious 
future. Let me warn you, then, to remember that pros- 
perity is not always permanent. Commercial disasters 
often come in a way and at a time least expected. The 
tendency of prosperity is to lead to dangerous expendi- 
tures and speculations. What now seems so promising 
may result in disappointment. God sometimes leaves 
those that forsake Him to have their portion for a season 
in worldly things, who find that the end is bitterness and 
woe. But even if your prosperity continues, riches un- 
sanctified are exceedingly dangerous to the soul. "They 
that will be rich pierce themselves through with many 
sorrows, and fall into divers temptations." Experience 
has long since settled the question about the vanity of 
worldly honors and possessions. Happiness and the in- 
crease of wealth do not always go hand in hand. The 
joys of a miser's heart are not to be envied. The life, 
experience, joys, character, and death of the richest men 
of this city are not such as we wish you to possess, nor 
such as you yourselves can rationally desire. Beware of 
misusing the gifts of Providence. If riches increase^ set 
not your hearts upon them. Seek daily to know what 
God would have you do with the good things He intrusts 
to your hands, and especially take care that your piety 
and usefulness keep pace with your prosperity. If your 



ORIENTAL HOUSE-TOPS. 189 

fervency of spirit and enlargedness of heart keep pace 
witti jour increase of worldly goods, then your riches will 
prove to you a rich fountain of spiritual good, and your 
prosperity prove to be a blessing, and not a curse. 

m. As the great lesson of this chapter is, that pride is 
in itself and in its utterances an exceedingly dangerous 
thing, and odious in the sight of God, I will dwell here a 
little upon it. " And those that walk in pride. He is able 
to abase." See verses 29-35. 

At the end of twelve months^ he walked in the palace of 
the hingdom of Babylon. 

You all know that the houses in Bible lands are built 
with flat roofs, and frequently so joined together that one 
may go over a large part of an Oriental city without des- 
cending into the street at all. The streets are narrow, 
and the houses frequently protrude on both sides of the 
street, so as to join each other over the head of street 
travelers- It was and is the custom of the East to medi- 
tate and take recreation on the house-top, to pray, and 
even receive company, and take tea and other meals. I 
have seen this done in Cairo, Damascus, and Jerusalem. 
Peter, you know, was on a house-top at Joppa when 
Cornelius' messenger arrived. And we read (1 Sam., ix.) 
that Saul and Samuel conversed together on the house- 
top, and they spread a bed for Saul on the house-top, and 
he slept. The verse before us, then, is easily understood 
by all who consider the customs of the country. The 
king walked upon the roof of his palace, or upon the 
terrace thereof, to enjoy the fresh air and a fine prospect, 
and survey the city, and he fell into a revery of pride and 
presumption. The view was indeed a magnificent one. 



190 LECTURES O:^ DANIEL. 

His palace was the greatest and richest then on earth. It 
rose above the walls of the surrounding dwellings. The 
atmosphere of that country is transparent, and the skies 
brilliant. His palace overlooked the citj, the mistress of 
the world— its size and riches, and the height and breadth 
of its walls wonderfully prodigious. Its hanging gardens, 
and glittering palaces, and profusion of gold and of huge 
statuary, are the astonishment of all historians, both an^ 
cient and modem. The great Euphrates rolled its majestic 
flood through the middle of the city, and was shut in both 
above and below by strong bulwarks and doors of solid 
brass. "With such a view within the field of his vision, 
and himself the absolute lord of all, and crowned with 
singular prosperity for a long life, it was natural, yet 
wicked for him, to be elated and arrogant in the way des- 
cribed. 

That pride goes before a fall, is one of the greai lessons 
of all history. The providence of God has been inculcat- 
ing ever since the world began, that "those which walk 
in pride He is able to abase." 

The first sin is supposed to have originated in pride. 
Man tried in paradise to soar to heaven; but his frail 
wings were soon dissolved. He fell, and earth received 
the terrible retribution. "Sin brought death into the 
world, and all our woe." Cain, stained with his brother's 
blood, went forth into the world with this legible inscrip- 
tion upon his scathed brow, Them that walk m pride 
God is able to abase. • 

And in the period of human history immediately pre- 
ceding the flood, we are told that the pride and wicked- 
ness of men were exceedingly great. They were corrupt, 



COtJTtTHE'S GREAT PtdTtfRE.- I9I 

and full of all iniquity. And God opened the fountains 
of the great deep, and the old world was drowned, and 
the truth disclosed was, " Them that walk ih pride God is 
able to abase." The confusion of tongues at the Tower 
of Babel proves the same thing. The destruction of 
Sodom and Gomorrah, and of the Canaanites, like the 
text, are proofs that pride leads to destruction. The his- 
tory of the world's great empires is a running comment- 
ary on IS'ebuchadnezzar's text. They have not all fallen 
by some sudden stroke of Almighty power, yet the same 
truth is demonstrated. The very principles that influenced 
their great founders by a slow but sure process brought 
their ruin. There is a picture in the Luxembourg gallery 
in Paris — " The Decadence of the Eomans" — which made 
the fame and fortune of the painter Couture. This picture 
is a whole history, with the moral. It represents an orgie 
in the court of a temple, during the last days of Eome. 
A swarm of revelers occupy the middle of the picture, 
men and women intermingled in all the elaborate intri- 
ca,cy of luxurious posture. Their faces, in which the old 
Eoman fire scarcely flickers, are brutalized with excess 
of every kind, while from goblets of an antique grace they 
drain the fi6ry torrent which is destroying them. Around 
the bacchanalian feast stand, upon pedestals, statues of 
old Home, looking with marble calmness and severity 
upon the revelers. In one part of the picture a boy is 
Been proffering a dripping goblet to the marble mouth of 
a statue ; and in the corner of the picture, as if leaving 
court — Rome, as finally departing — is a group of Romans, 
with care-worn brows, and hands raised to their faces, in 
melancholy meditation. The causes of the decline and 



192 LECTUKES ON DAMEL. 

fall of the Eoman empire were within itself. They were 
luxurj, pride, faction, corruption, and crime. ISTebuchad- 
nezzar, Tamerlane, Alexander, and Caesar all found that 
the higher they soared, the deeper and the more disastrous 
was their fall. Whenever and wherever great schemes 
and systems have arisen that have thrust out God and 
exalted man, the same great result has invariably follow- 
ed. " Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither 
let the mighty man glory in his might ; let not the rich 
man glory in his riches, but let him that glorieth glory 
in this, that he knoweth the Lord and doeth His will." 
Money is the idol of the nineteenth century. The banker 
has far more power than ever Nebuchadnezzar had ; and 
the greater is the responsibility of having wealth, as the 
means for doing good with it are increased. Power and 
wealth, beauty and accomplishments, are not the only 
causes of pride. The impenitent, careless sinner, who 
thinks nothing of God, and cares nothing about his soul, 
walks in perilous pride upon the brink of an awful pre- 
cipice. The self-righteous man, who thinks his own 
righteousness good enough to take him to heaven, and 
rejects the righteousness of Christ, walks in pride ; and 
the worldly-minded man, whose living is after the lust of 
the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, walks 
in pride. Pride does not belong exclusively to the rich 
and great. It is not patented to those that have fine 
houses and carriages. Pride grows in a hovel as well as 
in a palace. We are all proud by nature. It is a part 
of oui* corrupt disposition. It is the cause of many sor- 
rows and of most of our misfortunes. It is through pride 
and stubbornness, the pride of intellect and pride of stand- 



GRACE ALONE CAN CONVERT. 193 

ing with their neighbors, that many men lire and die 
unconverted. ]N"othing but the grace of God can subdue 
the pride of the human heart. All the miracles of Moses, 
even the death of his first-born, failed to bring down the 
pride of Pharaoh. All the preaching, and reasoning, and 
pleading of the most eloquent minister of Christ that ever 
spoke will fail to abase the pride of a single individual in 
his audience, unless the rays of the Gospel are made to 
fall by the Holy Spirit upon his heart. The wind may 
beat upon the icicle — the storm may smite it — the earth- 
quake may split it — the avalanche may descend, and send 
it thundering down into the valley below, but it is the 
sunbeam only that can thaw and melt it. Experience of 
mercies and of judgments cannot subdue the pride of 
man's heart. How often do you see this verified. Have 
you not tried cistern after cistern, and found them broken 
cisterns that could hold no water, and yet gone on dig- 
ging other cisterns as laboriously as if you had had no 
experience of failures ? And you, that other young man, 
have you not found flower after flower fade and wither, 
the instant you touched it? and yet you are still seeking 
other flowers as fragile. How is it that, after joy on joy 
has been pursued, and has perished, the instant you 
thought you had grasped it, that you seek, and still seek, 
pleasures where they cannot be found ? Why is it that 
you will still seek the living among the dead ? It is be- 
cause you do not like, to be indebted even to God for 
salvation. You would like to save yourself — to justify, 
regenerate, and sanctify yourself. If by money, or com- 
mercial integrity, or domestic virtues, or if even by pen- 
ances and pilgrimages you could work out your salvation, 

13 



194 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

yon would be content ; but to submit to be saved by 
grace, just as the greatest criminal may be saved, is re- 
volting to the pride of every unrenewed heart. But there 
IS no other way to heaven than by faith in Christ. The 
song of the redeemed ascribes all the praise to Him who 
hath loved them, and washed them from their sins in his 
own blood. 

lY. We have here one of the most striking and in- 
structive lessons of God^s power to humhle the jproiid that 
is recorded in the Bible. Babylon's mighty monarch had 
made many successful campaigns, and obtained great 
glory. He was the head of the mightiest kingdom and 
ruler over the greatest city then in the world; but his 
riches and his fame, his treasures and his power, could 
not preserve his peace of. mind. His well-appointed 
guards and numerous army could not keep him from be- 
ing terrified by dreams. The majesty and all-governing 
influence of God are here displayed in his acknowledged, 
absolute, undisputed sovereignty over the world. God's 
victory over the mightiest and proudest conqueror was 
easy and complete. He is made to confess that his own 
strength of mind and body, and the power and splendor 
of all his kingdom, were nothing ; and all the inhabitants 
of the earth are as nothing before Him : " And he doeth 
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among 
the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay his hand, 
or say unto him, What doest thou ? At the same time 
my reason returned unto me, and, for the glory of 
my kingdom, mine honor and brightness returned unto 
me, and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me, 
and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent 



GOD'S PUOYIDENCE.— JOSEPHUS. I95 

majesty was added unto me. ^N'ow I, JSTebuchadnezzar, 
praise, and extol, and honor the King of heaven, all whose 
works are truth, and his ways judgment ; and those that 
walk in pride he is able to abase." 

How utterly in vain, then, for the impenitent to hope 
to escape from the presence of God ! K they dig into 
hell, in the language of the prophet, thence will He take 
them — though they climb up to heaven, thence will He 
bring them down. The Lord God of Hosts is his name ; 
all the universe is in his hands. There is but one way of 
escape, and that is to fly to Christ, the Lamb of God. 

Y. The history of ^Nebuchadnezzar and his dreams 
shows that God exercises a general and special provi- 
dence over all the affairs of the universe and of men 

Josephus, after explaining Daniel's visions which he 
had at Shusha concerning the Babylonian, Median, and 
Persian empires, and concerning the Greeks and Romans, 
and his own countrymen, says, " And so it came to pass, 
that our nation (as well as these other nations) suffered 
the things foretold by Daniel under j^.ntiochus Epiphanes 
— which things Daniel wrote many years before they 
came to pass. All these things did this man leave in 
writing, as God had showed them to him, insomuch that 
such as read his prophecies, and see how they have been 
fulfilled, would wonder at the honor wherewith God 
honored Daniel ; and may thence discover how the Epi- 
cureans are in error, who cast Providence out of human 
life, and do not believe that God takes care of the affairs 
of the world, nor that the universe is governed and con- 
tinued in being by that blessed and immortal nature, but 
say that the world is carried along of its own accord with- 



196 LECTURES OK DANIEL. 

out a Euler and a Creator ; wMch, were it destitute of a 
guide to conduct it, as thev imagine, would be like ships 
without pilots, which we see drowned hj the winds, or 
like chariots without drivers, which are overturned ; so 
would the world be dashed to pieces by its being carried 
onward without a Providence, and so perish and come to 
naught. So that, by the before-mentioned predictions of 
Daniel, those men seem to me very much to err from the 
truth who determine that God exercises no providence 
over human affairs ; for if that were the case, that the 
world went on by mechanical necessity, we should not 
see that all things would come to pass according to his 
prophecy." — Antiq., book x. chap. 11. 

. God has always exercised a special providence over his 
people. Although, for their sins, the Jews were carried 
away to Babylon, and deprived of their political and per- 
sonal liberty, still they were not left without some tokens 
for good — still God had not abandoned them. They still 
had a prophet. iN'or were they reduced to an absolute 
famine of the word of God. By the captivity the ten 
tribes either became amalgamated with their heathen 
conquerors, or were transported to foreign lands, ?jid thus 
disappeared from the pages of history. This was foretold 
by their prophets ; and the lapse of two thousand years has 
brought nothing to light concerning their fate. But it 
was different with Judah. They were restored by the 

edict of Cyrus ; and the especial interferences of God in 
the history of Daniel were intended to preserve a remnant 
of the kingdom of Judah, that out of the root of Jesso 
might come the Messiah. 

The ministration of watehers and holy ones — i.e., of the 



HEAVENLY WATCHERS.— DECREES. 19^ 

angels — in the government of the world, is tanght in the 
Bible, as well as in the religions of the East. Angels arc 
represented in the Bible as watching over and having an 
interest in the affairs of men, and as being the execu- 
tioners of God's will, and they seem to be spoken of here 
as having cognizance and control of the fate of men. 

YI. We see from the king's proclamation that God has 
ruRPOSES or decrees as well as prescience. "He doeth 
according to his will in the army of heaven, and among 
the inhabitants of the earth." God, as a being of infinite 
perfection, not only foreknows what will come to pass, 
but He also purposes the events that take place. He 
doeth according to His wilL Without this prophecy 
would be all nonsense. How could God inspire a man 
to foretell an event, unless he also worked out its fulfill- 
ment ? The knowledge of an event to take place, on the 
part of God, comprehends all the means to bring about 
tliat event. The iQvm. foreTcnoioledge^ used in reference to 
the Divine Being, is so used wholly out of regard to our 
weakness. There is no such thing with God as fore- 
knowledge or (z/T^er-knowledge. His knowledge is per- 
fect. It can never be increased or diminished — cannot 
be added to or taken from. His knowledge was as ac- 
curate and complete on the day of creation as it will be 
at the day of final judgment. 

The holy men of old, who spoke as they were moved 
thereto by the Holy Ghost in uttering prophecies, were 
amanuenses of God's truth ; and liistory is the work of 
men, holy and unholy, as amanuenses of God's provi- 
dence. " God writes the prophecy in Scripture, and God 



198 LECTUEES OX DANIEL. 

fulfills the prophecy in history, and yet God is not the 
author of sin." God, though the author of every thing 
that is good, is not the author of any thing that is sinful. 
No violence is done to the freedom of the human will. 
Man is not. a mere automaton, but a rational, reflecting, 
free, responsible being, deliberately choosing his own 
destiny. 

YII. God often onomifests hoth his sovereignty cmd hene- 
volence in warning men of the consequences of their sins, 
in order that they may avert the doom threatened, but 
not yet sealed, by repentance and righteousness. Daniel 
interpreted the king's dream, and boldly and faithfully 
warned him, and told him how to escape from the judg- 
ment which it portended. The king had a whole year 
given him to reflect on the interpretation of his dream, 
but the warning was in vain. The fruit sought was not 
obtained till after the threatened punishment had been 
inflicted. God was pleased to pursue the same method 
in the time of JSToah, and toward the Jews before the cap- 
tivity, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem in the time of 
the Saviour, and so now by the Gospel. "Moreover, O 
king, let my counsel be acceptable before thee, and break 
off thy sins by righteousness, and thy transgressions by 
showing mercy to the poor." He does not tell the king 
to redeem his sins by penance, genuflection, and pilgrim- 
age. He tells him to break off from his sins — to cease to 
do evil, and learn to do well. He was reluctant to an- 
nounce calamities to his king, yet he could not turn aside 
from the truth. While, therefore he warns him of im- 
pending afflictions, he earnestly entreats him to bring 



HONESTY IN FAITHFUL PREACHERS. 199 

forth fruits raeet for repentance, and to be ready to show 
mercj to others, especially the multitudes of poor captives 
that were in his kingdom. O that we could imitate Dan- 
iel in his honesty and earnest faithfulness. What a lesson 
have we here for all ministers of state, as well as of reli- 
gion! He told the king honestly the whole truth, and 
was not afraid. 'Nov did he make any apology. His 
duty was a painful one, but honestly and faithfully did 
he execute his trust. If what ministers of the Gospel 
preach be not true, no apology can palliate it; if it be 
true, no excuse is valid for not preaching it, and, conse- 
quently, no apology is required. It cannot afford them 
pleasure to bear evil tidings to their people ; yet, as they 
watch for souls, they must declare the whole counsel of 
God, whether the people will hear or forbear. Our con- 
gregations are always composed of two classes — those 
that are sinners by nature, and. still impenitent and dis- 
obedient ; and those that are penitent and believing. 
This is the only division that will be known at the judg- 
ment-seat. And though we have not the spirit of Daniel, 
yet we must say to you who are living in sin, and dis- 
obedient to the calls of the Gospel, that the dream were 
to ther/h that hate thee, and the interjpretation thereof to 
thine enemies. Long have you stood as a fair tree in the 
vineyard, but fruitless. " And I saw, and behold a 
watcher and a holy one came down from heaven, and 
cried. Hew down the tree." " Cut it down, why cum- 
bereth it the ground ?" But, O Lord, may it not stand 
another year ! May not this impenitent sinner live till 
after the next communion season, and we will dig about 



200 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the roots, and see if it will not bear fruit ; we will plead, 
O Lord! we will agonize and urge sinners to be reconciled 
to Thee. O that you were wise — that you would now 
consider your latter end, and accept of salvation while 
the golden sceptre is held out. Amen. 



SUMMARY OF LAST LECTURES. 201 



LECTUKE X. 



GOD S UNIVEESAL SCEPTKE ; OK, NEBUCHADNEZZAR PKEACHING 
TO YOUNG MEN ABOUT GOd's ABSOLUTE DOMINION OVEK THE 
WOELD. 

On Dan., iv., ], 3, 17, 25, 34, 35. 

Nebuchadnezzar's Conversion. — Liberty of Conscience. — Heavens do rule. — Or- 
igin of Sin considered. — Bible alone not responsible. — Believer'' s Advantages 
over the Skep'ic. — One Sinner God's Executioner on another. — Analogy shows 
that Objections to God's Government are not valid. — This World a State of 
Trial. — Etej^nity a Retribution. — TJie Righteous and Wicked separated. — 
Their distinct Destinies. — Facts which show that the Heavens do rule. 

LESSONS. 

I. Never out of God's Jurisdictiok 

II. God's absolute Sovereignty should teach you to take a "wide 

AND far-seeing VIEW OP YOUR RELATIONS AND OBLIGATIONS. 

III. Look at your every-day Conduct in the light of all its Bear- 
ings. . 

IV. Never despair of Progress, either personal or of Mankind. 

In the preceding discourses of this series, the language 
and figures of speech used in the king's proclamation have 
been explained, objections answered, and various impor- 
tant lessons drawn for the instruction, warning, and en- 
couragement of joung men. Josephus and other ancient 
writers have been consulted, and collateral historj, and 
the recent discoveries and decipherings of the inscriptions 
of Nineveh and Babylon, have been referred to as coin- 
cidental proof of the genuineness and authenticity of the 
book of Daniel, and of Nebuchadnezzar's edict. Li the 
present discourse our object is to explain, defend, and 



202 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

apply the doctrine set forth in the king's edict concerning 

THE TINIYEESAI. SCEPTKE AND DOMINON OF GoD. The tree in 

the king's dream symbolized himself. Daniel gave him 
a faithful interpretation thereof, and called upon him to 
avert the threatened calamity, by ceasing to do evil and 
learning to do well ; but ^Nebuchadnezzar would not learn 
his lesson till the punishment threatened was actually 
inflicted. Afterward, when he lifted up his eyes to heaven, 
and his understanding returned unto him, the king sent 
forth his proclamation, which contained, as we have seen, 
many things to us deeply interesting, appropriate, and 
suggestive. The points to be presented now are : 

I. The result^ in the 'king's own mind^ of the conviction 
that God is the absolute Sovereign of the universe. The 
dream, its interpretation and fulfillment, evidently pro- 
duced a great change in his mind. The evidences of his 
true and actual conversion, at which we have hinted be- 
fore, are two : first, his deep humility, self-abasement, and 
gratitude to God. The punishment of Nebuchadnezzar 
was such as was due to his pride. It was suited to his 
crimes, and he acknowledges God's justice in punishing 
him for his sins, and gives Him the glory. This proves 
that he felt sin to be a grievous thing, and that he was 
truly sorry for his sins, and now rejoiced in the humble 
assurance of their forgiveness; and therefore his heart 
blessed God, and pronounced benedictions on all man- 
kind. The substance of his proclamation unto all people, 
and nations, and languages that dwell on the earth, was 
" Peace be multiplied to you." And the ground of this 
proclamation was that he might show " the signs and the 
wonders that the high God"— not his idol Bel, whose 



EVIDENCES OF HIS CONVERSION. 203 

praises he had sung before, but, "that the high God hath 
wrought toward him." 

Kow what are the evidences of genuine conversion to 
God ? Are they not humility, deep penitence for sin, an 
acknowledgment of God's just judgment and deserved 
wrath for sin, an humble hope of divine forgiveness, and 
a heart flowing with gratitude to God and good-will to- 
ward man? These seem to have been the effects pro- 
duced in the king's mind by his dream and its fulfillment. 
The haughty monarch seems to have been altogether 
changed. Instead of war, he now proclaims peace. The 
hand that had been stretched forth with the sword from 
the Indus to the Hellespont, now pours forth benedictions. 
The lion has become a lamb. He that blasphemed and 
defied God, now submits and owns his power and justice, 
and prays that all nations may own him as God. Another 
and second proof of his conversion is the missionary feel- 
ing of his proclamation. One of the proofs of a suitable 
state of mind for becoming a member of the Church is 
that, "feeling a strong desire for the conversion of all 
mankind, you promise to do all you can to sustain the 
institutions of the Gospel, and to aim at increasing holi- 
ness of heart and life, and that you will constantly en- 
deavor to do all in your power for the glory of God and 
the good of your fellow-men." Nebuchadnezzar's pro- 
clamation breathes this spirit. He seems to say, as David 
had done before him, " Come, all ye that fear God, and 
I will make known to you what he hath done for my 
soul." So the King of Babylon says, " I have seen the 
greatness, glory, and terrible majesty of Jehovah ; I have 
tasted of his goodness. It is now my wish that all the 



204 LECTUEES OX DANIEL. 

people in my vast realm should see, and know, and learn 
that the God whom I now fear is not the great golden 
image that I once set np in the plain of Dura ; but that 
the God I now worship is Jehovah, the only true and 
living God, who made the heaven and the earth, and 
whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom." 

The remark has been happily made in reference to some 
of the able addresses recently delivered in the Congress 
of the United States on the liberty of conscience in foreign 
countries, that some of our greatest men had turned 
preachers, and made their desk in the Senate Chamber a 
pulpit. Thank God for this ! And we hope the persecu- 
tions of the poor Madiai, for no other crime than that of 
reading the Bible, and the grievous annoyances of Ameri- 
can travelers and residents abroad about their private 
books of devotion and religious opinions, will never cease 
to stir the hearts of our statesmen until that toleration of 
religious opinion in other countries is secured for Ameri- 
can citizens that is freely granted to all religions on earth 
in our own country. It is, brethren, indeed wonderful to 
see what grace can do — wonderful to see how Saul of 
Tarsus became Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles. Wonder- 
ful transformations of character are made by the Spirit 
of God even in our day. The same grace that changed 
the heart of Saul of Tarsus and saved the penitent thief 
on the cross can save the vilest of our race. The grace 
of God, like the air of heaven, can enter the smallest 
hovel and the loftiest palace. It has, and it can, and it 
will still find its way into Congresses, into Divans and 
Cabinets, and to the thrones of empires. " It will find its 
way into the temples of Bramah, into the mosques of 



TURKISH TRADITIONS. 206 

Islam, and into the cathedrals of Romanism." There ia 
a tradition among the Turks in the East, that as their 
mosques were once Christian churches, so thej will again 
become Christian temples. Maj this day speedily come ! 
The Babylonian throne was once turned into a Christian 
pulj)it. Its mighty monarch himself became a humble 
and faithful missionary, and his royal edict an epistle, a 
sermon eloquent of the wonders of God's supremacy and 
sovereignty^ both in providence and grace — and of righte- 
ousness and peace. O how much should we all rejoice 
in the apostle's great announcement! It is a faithful 
saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus 
came into the world to save sinners, even the chief. 

n. Let us now, in the second place, consider the king's 
acknowledgment that the heavens do rule — to the intent 
thM the living may know that the Most High ruleth in 
the 'kingdom of men^ and giveth it to whomsoen^er he will, 
and setteth up over it the lasest of men. I desire the more 
to dwell on the absolute dominion of God over the affairs 
of the world, and of every creature in the world, because 
it is a subject of great practical importance to young men, 
and at the same time it is a subject about which there is 
much practical skepticism, even where there is no avowed 
disbelief. There are also some honest difficulties which I 
hope may be explained or removed. There seems to be 
in the unconverted heart a proneness at all ages, and es- 
pecially a strong tendency in our times to rebel against 
the sovereignty of God. As unconverted men do not like 
to retain God in their thoughts, so they are disposed to dis- 
pute the ever-present, ever-active supremacy of a living, 
personal Deity. The only great first cause they acknow- 



206 LECTURES 0>^ BA^^EL. 

ledge is an abstract principle, or an impersonal, apathetic, 
far-removed God, who now takes no notice of earthly 
things. Many admit that there loas an active Creator at 
the beginning of the world, who seem to deny or have a 
very faint belief that there is a God, ruling still in the 
heavens and over the affairs of men. Divested of its 
poetry, its dreamy generahties, and its philosophizing 
essays and literatm-e, the system of many seems to be 
this : that God created the world, set its vast machinery 
going, and wound it up a few times to see that it would 
all work well, and then wound it up so as to run for many 
years, and retired from it ; and that, consequently, acci- 
dents have been continually occurring ever since, and that 
second causes are now ruling, and will finally overthrow 
the existing economy of all things. It is on this sort of a 
theory that unbelievers try to explain the origin of moral 
evil. In answer to which, and in explanation and defense 
of the doctrine set forth in the king's proclamation, our 
first remark is : 

That the question of the origin of moral evil^ like the 
existence of God^ is Jcnown^ absolutely known a^ a fact^ 
without OUT leing ahle to comjprehend its mode or manner 
of existence. There are many things admitted to actually 
exist, the how or manner of whose existence and- essence 
we are not able to explain. Gravitation, the circulation 
of the blood, digestion, the growth of animals and vege- 
tables, the human soul and its connection with the body, 
and the existence of God, are all mysteries. These are 
all realities, not all indeed equally mysterious, but all in- 
, volving many points which cannot be explained at pre- 
sent. Many of the greatest minds in the Old as well as 



DIFFICULTIES OF THE SKEPTIC. 207 

in tlie Kew, in tlie Oriental as well as in the "Western 
World, have labored hard to solve the problem of the 
origin of moral evil ; but no satisfactory solution has been 
found beyond the facts revealed in the Bible. All admit 
that sin is now in the world. How can we reconcile its 
entrance here with the supreme government of God ? 
Why should a wise, merciful, omnipotent Being allow 
such an intruder as sin to come into our world and pro- 
duce apostasy, rebellion, and discord ? But, first^ young 
men, remember the Bible is not responsible for the solu- 
tion of this serious question. The entrance of sin into our 
world, " which brought death and all our woe," is not a 
disclosure peculiar to the Bible. It is a disclosure of fact, 
of human experience and observation, of geology and of 
universal history. The skeptic as well as the Christian 
is called upon to explain why sin is in the world. The 
historian, the geologist, the philosopher, as well as the 
Christian, admit the existence and the reign of a God — ■ 
admit as a fact the presence and the disturbing power of 
sin — that it is on account of sin that we see darkness, and 
degradation, and guilt, where we should see knowledge, 
righteousness, and holiness. If there be a difficulty, then, 
on this subject, it is a difficulty at the door of the skeptic 
himself, as broad and as palpable as at the door of a Bible 
Christian. By denying the truth of revelation and re- 
jecting the Gospel of Christ, we cannot, therefore, get 
rid of this difficulty ; it still remains in all its force. But^ 
secondly^ the Bible believer has an advantage over the 
mere geologist, historian, or skeptical philosopher. He 
can look at the entrance and reign of sin in such a light 
as to see that it is not the fault of the Divine Being that 



208 LECTURES OIT DAIHEL. 

sin is in the world. His faith is a telescope that reveals 
to him such distant worlds, and the remote, but still 
closelj united links of the long chain of Providence, that 
he sees God supreme and jet just, merciful, omnipotent, 
and good. His faith takes in the end ^vith the beginning, 
and shows him that all God's ways are perfect. The 
Bible believer sees that God made man in his own image 
and. after his own likeness, perfectly free and unfettered, 
with every bias to good, and with no bias to evil— with 
every inducement to retain his allegiance— with every 
possible dissuasion against apostasy— able to stand, but 
free to fall. He gave him a heart to love— He gave him 
a conscience, and placed him under law. This was essen- 
tial, as man was a creature. His Creator was of course 
the lawgiver, and when God placed Adam under law, He 
might, speaking with reverence, by his omnipotence have 
prevented him from touching the forbidden fruit. He 
might have struck Eve dead the moment she ate, and 
have prevented her from giving the apple, or whatever it 
was, to Adam ; but it surely does not follow, because the 
Almighty could have thus prevented man from sinning, 
that it was best for Him to have done so, or that he ought 
thus to have prevented him from sinning. To hav^e done 
this would have been to destroy human agency, and to 
have annihilated human virtue. The order of the human 
mind would then have been changed, and man become 
no more than an animal or a stone. But, 

Thirdhj. The Bible believer has such a wide sweep 
before him, so magnificent is the field of his vision, that 
he Gees grander and more magnificent results to be 



MAN CREATED A FREE AGENT. 209 

evolved from the wrecks of paradise than ever could have 
been reflected from it in its pristine glorj. 

" God, in the person of his Son, 
Hath all his mightiest works outdone." 

It is impossible to sustain the argument, that because 
God was able to have prevented the entrance of sin into 
the world, therefore he ouglit to have done so. You have 
the power to burn up this citv, or to throw yourself into 
the sea, but you need not be told that your possession of 
such power does not make it right for you to do so. The 
Almighty, by the exercise of omnipotence, might have 
rendered it impossible for man to have sinned ; but then 
this very impossibility would have made man a mere 
automaton — a piece of machinery, moved by extraneous 
impulses, without a will to determine, a conscience to 
feel, or a judgment to reflect. To use another's illustra- 
tion of this matter : if a man goes to put his hand into the 
fire, God tells that man, by the experience of others, and 
by the exercise of his reason, ''If you put your hand into 
the fire, you will burn it, and suffer pain." This is the 
plan which God adopts to keep a man from burning his 
hand. He might, speaking with reverence, have taken 
some other method. He might, by the mere fiat of omni- 
potence, render it a physical impossibility for a man to 
burn his hand. But he does not do so. He shows a man 
that if he puts his hand into the fire, such are His laws, 
that his hand is sure to be burned. And it was just in 
this way God dealt with Adam in Paradise. He did not 
draw back Adam's hand from touching the forbidden 

fruit ; but he told him that if he ate that fruit, death and 

14 



210 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

woe would be the inevitable consequences. He said to 
Mm, You are a free and responsible being ; it rests with 
yourself to abstain and live forever, or to touch it and 
perish. In defending, therefore, the doctrine of Nebu- 
chadnezzar's edict, which is the doctrine of the whole 
Bible, " we vindicate the ways of God to man," and show 
that permitting sin, not the sending of it, not the becom- 
ing the author of it, is the only way that God could have 
treated man as a rational and responsible being ; and as 
far as we can see, or comprehend human nature at all, 
there was no other way to have treated man in consis- 
tency with the dignity of his nature, which would, at the 
same time, have been consistent with the wisdom, the 
benevolence, the holiness, and the justice of Him who 
rules in the heavens/ 

HI. The history of J^ebuchadnezzar, as drawn by the 
Hebrew prophets, presents another difficulty in regard 
to the ruling of the heavens, and that is this : that one 
sinner is often made the execiUioner of divine judgments 
upon aTwther. This is true. Cyrus was employed to ex- 
ecute judgment upon Babylon. E'ebuchadnezzar himself 
was employed to execute judgment on Nineveh, and on 
Tyre, and on the other wicked nations of Syria. It is 
expressly said in Isaiah that God would give Egypt to 
Nebuchadnezzar as his wages for his services in conquer- 
ing Tyre. God himself says, " O Assyrian, thou art the 
rod of mine anger ; I will send thee against an hypocrit- 
ical nation, against the people of my wrath will I give 
thee a charge, to take the spoil and to take the prey, and 
to tread them down as the mire* in the streets." The 
prophet tells us that God put a hook in his nose and led 



GOFS EXECUTIONERS.-NAPOLEON. 211 

him wMthersoever lie would. It is not only the teaching 
of the Bible, but it is a chapter in the history of every 
nation, and almost of every individual, that one wicked 
man is made the instrument of punishing another, and 
that often a man's own sins are the executioners of their 
own curses. The Roman sword, in the hands of Titus and 
Yespasian, punished the gross transgressions of God's 
own people, as the Assyrians and Babylonians had done 
ages before. Napoleon the Great was not a saint in all 
his motives and plans, yet he was an instrument in the 
hand of God to punish the sins of profligate Europe, just 
as his successor, Napoleon III., may be in our day. The 
moral character of the agents of Providence are not al- 
ways such as God accepts. His agents are sometimes 
winds and flames, earthquakes and wars, pestilence and 
plague. The personal salvation of the men employed by 
divine Providence for great national or political events is 
not necessarily embraced in their mission ; that depends 
altogether upon their obedience to God. The agency of 
wicked men in carrying on the purposes of God is un- 
designed, and therefore not meritorious. He maketh the 
wrath of man to jpraise Him^ and the remainder of wrath 
he rest/raineth. And may it not be that God makes one 
sinful man or one wicked nation execute his judgment 
upon another sinful man or upon another wicked nation, 
rather than inflict the punishment by his own hand, in 
order that incorrigible sinners may know that it is vain 
to rely upon one another for support in their rebellion 
against Him, or to hope to escape his wrath by their 
united strength ? There is not, and there cannot be any 
conspiracy of wicked men against God, however secret, 



212 LEOTUEES ON BANIEI* 

or however great, powerful, and wide-spread maj be th&ir 
dominions and tlie ramifications of their power, without 
having the elements of its own disorganization, decay, and 
destruction within itself. If all the wicked men in the 
YvTorld were arrayed in a conspiracy against the canse and 
kingdom of Christ, it conld not last. The elements of 
disorganization and ruin are essentially combined in all 
such unions. The leagues and covenants, and tripartite 
and quintuple holy alliances of the despots of Europe, 
cannot last ; nor can all the guns and bayonets that can 
be manufactured in all the shops in Christendom, make 
them enduring. They will quarrel among themselves. 
It is as easy for God to confound their interpretations of 
treaties as it was for Him to confound the tongues of the 
builders of Babel. It is as easy for the Almighty to bring 
to naught the counsels of Metternich, and annihilate the 
armies of Austria, as it was for him to confound the wis- 
dom of Ahithophel, and destroy the army of Sennacherib. 
The same God is on the throne now. Small, obscure, 
and unexpected causes concurred in producing the Kevo- 
lutions of 1782 and of 1848. The downfall of kingdoms 
has generally come from sources but little anticipated. 
It is easy for God to light a spark that shall cause all 
Europe to blaze in war from the North Pole to the Medit- 
erranean. It is easy for Him who ruleth in the heavenSj 
and giveth dominion to w^homsoever he will, and setteth 
over empires sometimes the basest of men, to make one 
conspirator rise against another, and make the very 
means — the priesthood, army, and fortifications of a king 
— designed for his protection the very instrument of his 
overthrow. Ham an is often hanged on his own gaUow^ 



NATURE, NOT THE BIBLE, RESPONSIBLE. 213 

lY. Again, it is said, If it be true, as Nebuchadnezzar 
asserts in his proclamation, that God doeth according to 
his will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabit- 
ants of the earth, and none can staj his hand, or say unto 
him, ^' What doest thou ?" how is it that one generation 
S'uffers for the sins of former generations f The same 
answer in part that has just been given may be made to 
this objection. It is true that one generation does suffer 
for the sins of former generations, and it is true that God 
lives and reigns. The Bible, then, is not responsible for 
the solution of this difficulty. The Bible Christian is not 
alone in this matter. The chronicles of all ages and of all 
lands have legible records of the fact, that children for 
several generations suffer the consequences of the sins of 
their parents. The constitution of the universe and of 
human nature then, and not the Bible, is responsible foi 
this difficulty. It is one you cannot escape. Whether 
with or without the Gospel, you must meet it. We prefer 
to explain it with the help of the Word of God ; and as 
before, so here, the believer's view of the constitution of 
the universe, and of human nature, is far higher, more 
hopeful and consoling than that of the unbeliever. The 
Bible view of this subject teaches us lessons of the great- 
est practical value. Does not the very fact that children 
suffer for their parents' dissipation, profligacy, and im- 
providence, teach us that we have an interest in the well- 
being of all around us, and cannot escape from the re- 
sponsibility of exerting an influence on the ages that are 
to come after us ? Are we not thus palpably taught that 
we are morally as well as physically related to all man- 
kind, and bound bv the laws of the 2:reat Creator himself 



214 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

not to live for ourselves, but for the good of our fellow- 
men ? Does not the fact that children's children to the 
third and fourth generation suffer in their bodies, minds, 
and character, for the vices of their jDarents, constitute a 
most pressing and powerful argument to induce you to 
live soberly, righteously, and godly ? And thus a more 
sober, philosophical, and correct view of this matter 
shows you that what at first seemed to be a hardship is 
really a mercy, fitted to arouse all your feelings against 
sin, and to lead you by the deepest instincts of your na- 
ture to guard against such sins as will not only ruin your 
own bodies and souls, but transmit suffering, and pain, 
and tribulation to the distant generations of your des- 
cendants. 

And as to the removal by death of parents from their 
children, and of children from their parents, the whole 
difficulty does not rest with the Bible Christian. The 
facts lie as palpably at the door of the skeptic as they do 
at his. But here again, as before, the Bible Christian has 
sources of reflection, comfort, and hope that the infidel 
has not, and cannot have. Revelation comes in to his 
relief, and teaches much that reason could not disclose. 
The Christian sorrows not as the heathen. He finds 
lessons in the providential dispensations of God, that 
elevate his affections and make him happy here, and pre- 
pare him for glory and immortality hereafter. In the 
fact that infants, though free from actual transgressions, 
do die, the enlightened faith of the Christian says there 
may not only not be any thing inconsistent with the 
universal sceptre of God, but there is that which emi- 
nently makes his reign palpable. Does not the babe die 



CONSOLATION FOR DYIXa INFANTS. 215 

to teach ns that original sin is an actual thing, and to 
prove what geology and philosophy teach, that some ter- 
rible disaster has fallen upon mankind, which blights the 
flower that has just budded and bloomed to-day, and 
smites down the aged man of fourscore years ? Does not 
Revelation teach what heathen sages have said — those 
whom the gods love die early ^ in order that they may 
escape from the evil that is in the world; and as all who 
die in infancy are saved, are not our little ones taken 
from us to become missionaries to draw us to heaven? 
In the day of eternity it will doubtless be found that 
many parents are saved through the death of their little 
ones. 

Y. There are other difficulties that might be dwelt on, 
but only a few words can now be said in relation to 
them. That sentence against an evil work is not speedily 
executed ; that vice and fraud are sometimes prosperous, 
while the good and pious are poor and persecuted ; and 
that sometimes wicked men live to be very old, while 
pious and eminently useful men die at an early age, are 
facts. The Bible tells us that it has been so, and that it 
will continue to be so ; and the Bible tells us also that 
these things sometimes troubled Old Testament saints, but 
that when they went to the house of God, and considered 
all, and took into the account the awful end of wicked 
men, they were satisfied that God did all things w^ell, and 
that even on these points the heavens not only rule, but 
rule in righteousness and goodness. This world is not the 
state of absolute justice ; this world is only a place of trial 
and probation. The world to come is the world of retri- 
bution. In hell the wicked all suffer, and in heaven all 



216 LECTUEES ON DAMEL. 

the rigliteoiis are liappy. There are clegi^ees in both future 
rewards and punishments, but there is no mixture in either 
heaven or helL There is in the world to come a perfect 
sej)aration of the righteous from the wicked. Here the 
wicked and the righteous are mingled together, and parti- 
cipate together in the vicissitudes of earth, but in eternity 
thej are separated and rewarded according to their works. 
If all good men were rewarded on earth, then we should 
live not bv faith, but by sight, and all men wonld become, 
nominally, at least, believers in Christ, for the sake of 
worldly prosperity ; and if all pious men suffered on earth, 
then to become a Christian wonld be to become a martyr, 
and this would be an objection to the profession of faith 
in Christ. It is far better, then, for things to be just as 
they are — namely, that the tares and the wheat should 
grow together in the same field till the harvest. And 
such are the necessary relations of societ}^, and such the 
nature of moral goodness and of Christian virtues, that 
whenever the effort is made to separate them now, it ends 
in the injury of the wheat. The mingling together of the 
wicked and of the pious, and the present prosperity of the 
wicked and the temporary afflictions of the people of God, 
are calculated to fasten our faith upon God, and to show 
QS that we are to be saved by grace. And after all, who 
can show us that it is not far better for the pious to be 
afflicted just as they are? "What if Voltaire did live to 
be eighty years of age, and Thomas Paine to be an old 
man and die a drunken sot V It is only the worse for 
them. If Enoch is translated to heaven, it is because he 
walked with God. If a pious man dies early, it is because 
his work on earth is finished, and is pleasing to God and 



PACTS PEOYIXG GOD'S SOVEREIGNTY. 217 ' 

accepted of him. Whatever is taken off from a good 
man's days on earth is added to his existence in heaven, 
and he is abundantly satisfied. 

YI. There are some positive facts which prove that 
^Nebuchadnezzar is correct when he says the '' heavens do 
rule," and that the reigning of the heavens is wise and 
good, merciful and gracious. The first fact now to be 
stated is, that it is natural to expect God to govern the 
world. It would be unnatural for him to leave all his 
creatures orphans. The presence of fixed permanent laws 
in every department of nature proves that He has not so 
left them. The vegetable and animal kingdoms, the sea- 
sons of the year, and the revolutions of the heavenly 
bodies, show that He is supreme in nature. 

2. The perfections of God prove that He must still gov- 
ern the universe. His wisdom is infinite. All that God 
does is, therefore, infinitely perfect. As we have said, 
his laws prove his presence. By them he reigns in the 
atom as well as in the fixed star. He rides on the tiny 
breeze as upon the whirlwind. The sweet odors of the 
spring, as well as the thundering avalanche, are but pal- 
pable manifestations of His presence. But infinite wis- 
dom is not the only attribute of God. His goodness also 
is infinite. He so loved the world, not only as to permit, 
but actually to send — to give his son to die for the world. 
The Bible does not teach that God loves us because Christ 
has died for us, but that Christ died for us leccmse God so 
loved us. And if God gave his Son for us, how much 
more will he give us all things else needful ? 

And all the more so, because He who governs the 
world is omnipotent. Whatever, therefore. His wisdom 



218 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

devises, or His love inspires. His power will execute. It 
is impossible, then, for any error, mistake, or failm^e to 
occur in God's government of the world. All history and 
experience confirm the Psalmist's words, where he says, 
''' O Lord of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee, or 
to thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou rulest the 
raging of the sea ; when the waves thereof arise, thou 
stillest them. Justice and judgment are the habitation of 
thy throne ; mercy and truth shall go before thy face." 

8. A third source of argument, which I cannot now 
present, in favor of a particular and universal providence, 
is the plain teaching of the Bible on the subject. You 
are already familiar with many such proof-texts. 

Finally. Let us attend to the lessons of this subject. 
I am fully persuaded there is no fact in history, or in na- 
ture, or in human experience, that can be shown fairly to 
be in conflict with the ruling of the heavens, but that a 
proper consideration of all the facts in nature, human ex- 
perience, and history, establishes the doctrine set forth in 
the proclamation of the King of Babylon — that God's do- 
minion is particular, and absolute, and universal over the 
affairs of the world, and over the affairs of every creature 
in the world. But what have young men to do with the 
absolute, general, and particular providence of God ? A 
great deal, a very great deal. 

First. Ever bear in mind that there is no such thing 
as an accident in the true sense of that term. You are 
always and every where within the jurisdiction of God. 
You cannot escape His presence, nor hide yourself from 
the search-warrant of His laws. The laws which he has 
given to the elements and imprinted on your own soul, 



NO ESCAPE FROM GOD'S CLAIMS. 219 

will always find jou out when jou do violence to your 
conscience and sin against Him. If you were in the heart 
of the universe, and it in.ruins piled over you, still would 
God's eye beam full upon you, and His almighty hand be 
over you. Be sure of this : your sin will find you out, 
and you will find that it is an evil and a bitter thing. 
There is but one refuge from sin, and that thing is the 
blood of Christ. 

Let this subject, secondly, teach you to take a wide and 
far-seeing mew of your relation to your fellow-man^ and 
of your obligations to your Creator and to the universe He 
has made, and in which He has given you your ^lace. 
x\.s the Creator has designs of ultimate good to you, 
and of ultimate glory to himself through you, so you 
should be diligent to work out your high mission among 
your fellow-creatures. Tour first and highest duty is to 
seek the salvation of your own soul. There is a personal 
responsibility resting upon you to do this, from which 
there is no possible escape. It is identical with your ex- 
istence. You owe it as a debt for which nothing can be 
substituted — as a debt imposed upon you by the Almighty 
Creator, a debt to Him, to the universe, and to yourself 
to be pious, for it is only by being pious that you are in 
harmony with the higher laws of your being, and in com- 
munion with the Father of your soul ; and it is only in 
such communion you can find the hapj)iness that will fill 
your longing spirit. If, then, God suffers sin to develop 
itself into crimes and horrible calamities upon the earth 
around you, it does not prove that He hates you, but that 
He would have you look upon this earth as the great 
LESSOX-GivmG BOOK of the universe, and have you show 



220 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

your obedience and love to him by fleeing to Christ as a 
Saviour from all sin. And who can tell but that the in- 
habitants of sister orbs and sister stars may be grouped 
into gazing clusters, beholding with rapture how God is 
bringing good out of evil on our planet, and at the same 
time establishing his laws by the warning that is given 
in the punishment of sin, and exalting his grace and glory 
in its forgiveness through the blood of his own Son ? 

Thirdly. Learn^ therefore, young men, to look at your 
conduct in all its hearings for all coming time. A stone 
is thrown into the sea, but when and where do the agita- 
tions of the waters "cease? A spark ignites a house, and 
that house communicates with other houses, and a whole 
city is wrapped in flames. All languages have proverbs 
earnestly inculcating the wisdom and duty of resisting 
evil at its beginning. Almost all of the objections raised 
against revelation are raised on narrow, obscure, and 
partial, if not superficial views of its doctrines. Accustom 
yourselves, then, to take broad, and deep, and thorough, 
and intelligent, and high, and manly, and honorable views 
of all subjects. Fetter not your soul down to any thing 
little, low, or superficial. Guard against a narrow, en- 
vious, jealous, fault-finding spirit. If you see only the 
foundation of a house, you ought not therefore and thence 
to judge what will be the splendor of its superstructure. 
If you read the title-page of a book, or even the index of 
a book, or even a few chapters, you are not authorized, 
surely, to say that it is good or bad, false or true, as a 
whole. In judging of men and things, and of the dis- 
pensations of Providence, never allow yourself to rest on 
a mere outside first view. Judge not by appearances. 



LIPE-LOX& EVEXTS TOaETHER. 221 

but judge righteous judgment. Joseph's histoiy teaches 
you to wait for the end before you make up jour judg- 
ment. His character, or the providence of God over him, 
is not to be judged of from any one part of his life separ- 
ated from the rest. You cannot make up your verdict 
concerning him or concerning God's providence as it 
relates to him, from seeing him on one of the Ishmaelite 
camels, on his way through the desert to Egypt ; nor as 
you see him under the temptation of Potiphar's wife, nor 
when thrown into Pharaoh's round-house. If you stop 
with your pictures of Joseph here, you will say, what a 
poor, unfortunate young man — a very "Murad the un- 
lucky ;" if excellent in character, he is certainly most un- 
fortunate in life. But judge not the Lord by feeble sense. 
Wait for the second series. See Joseph at Pharaoh's 
right hand — see him receiving his brethren and father, 
and saving them and the Egyptian empire from destruc- 
tion — see him triumphant over all his trials, and dying 
full of years and honors, and his name held in everlasting 
remembrance ; and then say. Do not the heavens rule ? 
Is there not a God who judge th righteously in the earth ? 
So in regard to Daniel and his three friends, you must 
put all their life-long events into the series after their 
order and kind before you can make up your judgment 
as to the doctrines of Nebuchadnezzar in the text. And 
as to yourself, whether prosperous or adverse, remember 
that the end is not yet. Blow after blow may have fallen 
upon you, wave after wave have rolled over you, one dis- 
appointment after another have pursued you : whichever 
way you have looked, whatever you have attempted, 



222 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

nothing but trials and losses have met you. "Walt for the 
end. God hideth himself that He may be trusted. Uojge, 
on^ and look up^ and hoj)e- ever. It is only when the 
whole chain of Providence shall be seen in the clear light 
of eternity that we shall be able to see that all its links 
are of pure gold, and that they bind together our happi- 
ness and the Divine glory, and the greatest good of the 
whole universe. You must look, then, at all of God's dis- 
pensations in this world in connection with another world. 
Your residence here on earth is but a pilgrimage through 
which you are passing, and the world to come is your 
eternal home. This world is but a small spot, a little tiny 
nook and part of God's universe. What seems dark and 
irreconcilable with wisdom and goodness now, and in its 
relations to this world, when seen in eternity and in its 
relations to the vast domains over which God's sceptre is 
swayed, will be found to be perfectly consistent with Al- 
mighty power, wisdom, justice, and love. Got* is a kock ; 

ALL HIS WATS ARE PEEFECT ; ALL THE WOEKS OF THE KiNG 

OF Heaven aee truth, and his ways judgment ; and 

THOSE that walk IN PEIDE HE IS ABLE TO ABASE. 

Finally. The fact that the heavens do rule, and that all 
the works of the King of Heaven are truth, and his ways 
judgment, teaches you nemr to despair of the progress and 
happiness of the hioman race. Truth cannot die. '* The 
eternal years of God are hers." Principles are like the 
Eternal attributes ; they are transcripts of Infinite excel- 
lence. Hence the earnest expectation of the creature 
waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God ; for we 
know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in 



THE FRENCH RETOLUTIOK— ROBESPIERRE. 223 

pain together until now. In looking at the scenes of hor- 
ror that took place in the French Hevolution of 1782, at 
first, it might seem strange that God would allow such 
awful crimes to be perpetrated within his dominions ; but 
time and reflection have shown that great lessons were 
taught by these atrocities, which would not,, in all proba- 
bility, have been so successfully taught in any other way, 
nor by any other people. How else was the profligacy 
of the court and aristocracy, and even of the people them- 
selves, which had been so notorious for ages, to be pun- 
ished ? How else was the world to be taught, asks Dr. 
Gumming, of London, so effectually, what a people can 
do and will do who cast off God, as was taught by the 
French nation during the reign of atheism and terror? 
How else could so perfect a demonstration have been 
given that the world cannot be carried on without reli- 
gion, and that society cannot cohere without God — 'that, 
in the t^ords of Robespierre himself, " if there be not a 
God, we must make one, in order to make society hold to- 
gether. 

Even the athiest, in his blasphemy, here proclaims 
God almost as distinctly as Nebuchadnezzar, when he de- 
clares that " God reigns and the heavens do rule." The 
miseries, then, of one generation, and the blessings of an- 
other, are often in man}^ ways connected ; and in looking 
at God's dispensations to men and to nations, you must 
look at them as a whole, and as completed only at the 
judgment-day. The sufferings of our fathers prepared 
the soil and sowed the seeds which have ripened for us, 
and now it is for us to prepare precious harvests for the 



22i . lECTtTBES OX DA^TIEL. 

generations to come. God reigns, and the powers of 
hell cannot prevail against his government. All history 
proves that every false religion is a blunder, and that 
every atom of Truth is immortal. All histoet shows 

THAT WHERE THE SPIRIT OF GoD IS, THEEE, AXD THEEE ONLY 

IS LiBEETT. Is there, then, nothing to encourage your 
faith and command your exertions in the faithfulness of 
God's providences toward his people ? Is there not pal- 
pable evidence of his sovereign dominion, in making all 
men, in all sorts of pursuits, consciously or unconsciously, 
designedly or undesignedly, contribute to spread the 
splendor of his name ? Is it no evidence that the heavens 
do rule, that you have proofs of the truth of the Bible dug 
up from, the lava of Herculaneum, from the pictures of 
Pompeii, and excavated from the graves of Mneveh and 
Babylon, and from the tombs of Egypt and Arabia ? Is 
there no proof that God is watching over the Bible of 
your mother, whose every page she once bedewed with 
tears from eyes that now can weep no more, in the fact 
that he is bringing forth elucidations of its truth, and 
proofs of his Gospel from the graves of long-buried cities, 
and the wreck of nations, as well as from the depths of 
the earth and the heights of the heavens — -till at last the 
most skeptical minds are constrained to own that the re- 
ligion of Jesus Christ is the most astonishing fact in the 
world ? Is there nothing in your own personal history — 
nothing of goodness and mercy that should lead you to 
repentance — nothing of judgment that warns you to flee 
from the wrath to come — nothing that convinces you there 
is a Providence above that watches over you, and caUs 
you to seek glory, honor, and immortality ? You believe 



BELIEVE IN CHRIST. 225 

in God ; believe also in his Son Jesus Christ, and then in 
the ruling of the heavens you shall find that all things 
work together for good to them that love God, for that 
the BLOOD OF HIS SON Jestjs Christ cleanseth us feom all 
sm. Amen. 



226 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 



LECTUKE XL 



On Dan., v. 

The Bible God^s Crystal Palace. — Authors on Daniel. — Prophecy fulfilled. — 
The Feast, why it was sinful. — Babylonians not Turks. — Their Wives might 
be at their Feasts. — Ebw the Vessels were used. — TJie Narrative corroborated. 
— Toleration. — Desecration. — Music. — The Glee spoiled. — W/iy teamed Men 
could not read the Writing. — Grotefend. — Woman's Agency. — She is neces- 
sary to Man's Happiness. — The Chaldean Astrologers were not Spirit Rap- 
pers — were Magi, but not Magicians. — Daniel, President of the Babylonish 
Smithsonian Institute. — The Stars preaching. — One Sin often leads to an- 
other. — Great Sin not to heed Divine Warnings. — WJiere Responsibility 
rests. — Deists'' Condemnation. — The Worldling''s Stone of Stumbling. — Do 
not neglect regular Preaching of the Divine Word. — Fkar the Power of Con- 
science. — Sin is indeed a bitter Thing. — Evil-doers only fear the Law. — Rea- 
son why Uhiversalists and Hell-redemptionists preach Nothing but that there 
is no Devil and no Hell. — The Orthodox Way the more philosophical. 

LsT the morning discourse we made a hurried visit to 
the Crystal Palace for the exhibition of the industry of 
all nations, and attempted to show that the Bible is God's 
Crystal Palace, built expressly for the exhibition of his 
attributes and glory to all nations, and for the supply of 
their wants. This evening we ask you to go with us far 
to the eastward, not to an exhibition of industrial arts, 
but to an Oriental feast on the banks of the Euphrates 
some two thousand three hundred years ago. The last 
lecture was on God's universal providence over men and 
things, as taught in E"ebuchadnezzar's remarkable edict. 
Repeatedly have I asked your attention to three works on 
the book of Daniel, which I again name, and hope you 



PROPHECY FULFILLED IN BABYLON'S FALL. 227 

will procure and read as far as you have opportunity. 
The first is by the late Professor Stuart, of Andover, and 
is designed particularly for students and theologians. The 
second is by Professor Gaussen, of Geneva. His lectures 
on Daniel have been translated, and are published by the 
Presbyterian Board in Philadelphia. They are addressed 
especially to Sabbath-school children. The other work to 
whicTi I allude is by Dr. Gumming, of London. The last- 
named works are popular in their style. They are devoted 
mainly to Daniel's prophecies, and are directed parti- 
cularly against Popery. It is not to be inferred that by 
naming these authors I endorse all the opinions they ad- 
vance. I do not agree with them in many places, yet 
they are able writers, and worthy of being read. 

In regard to the chapter before us, two things are to be 
remembered : 

Firstly. The particulars of the taking of Babylon by 
Cyrus, as given by Herodotus and Xenophon, correspond 
with our narrative. 

Secondly. In the taking of Babylon w^e have a remark- 
able fulfillment of divine prophecies. The time and man- 
ner of its fall and subsequent history all fulfills exactly 
what the Hebrew prophets foretold. Jeremiah had said 
that all nations should serve Nebuchadnezzar, and his son 
and his son's son, and that then his empire should cease. 
Belshazzar was his grandson. You know from history 
that Cyrus gained a victory over the Ejng of Babylon, 
and shut him up in his metropolis, which was considered 
impregnable, and had within its walls provisions for 
twenty, years. The siege had continued over two years, 
when, during the feast spoken of in this chapter, Cyrus, 



228 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

having drained the River Euphrates, which ran through 
the cit J, marched his armj into the city along the channel, 
and surprised the palace guards, slew the king himself, 
and became absolute master of the city. 

I. Our purpose now, however, is first to attend to the 
Feast of Belshazzar. It was a great annual festival, 
commemorative of some great event. Some think it was 
S^acae, the Saturnalia of the Babylonians. Others say it 
was a feast in honor of the king's birth-day, or of his 
coronation. Whatever feast it was, it seems to have been 
attended with the pomp, religious rites, and services of 
the empire. The Babylonians were famous above all 
other nations for intemperance, especially in drinking. A 
feast commemorative of a man's birth-day or of his marri- 
age is not necessarily sinful. A national festival, as the 
Fourth of July, is not in itself sinful ; nor was it the 
eating and drinking in moderation, but the excess, and 
the spirit in which it was done, that made Belshazzar's 
feast so impious. Their excess was a great sin, but their 
defiance of Jehovah and impious mockery in using the 
sacred vessels brought from Jerusalem was a far greater 
sin. The king and his lords, by using the holy vessels 
of the Jewish temple for their licentious and idolatrous 
festival, hurled defiance at the God of Abraham, and 
showed their contempt for the power of Him who doeth 
according to his will in the armies of heaven. In ac- 
counting for the presence of the king's wives and con- 
cubines and the queen-mother at this feast, you must 
recollect that the Babylonians were not Mussulmans, nor 
were they even like the Persians. Yashti, the Persian 
queen, we are told in Esther, did not appear at the feast- 



WOMEN AT BELSHAZZAR'S FEAST. 229 

table, even when commanded by tbe king. Among tbe 
Greeks, none but women of depraved character sat down 
to feast with men. But among the Babylonians, ancient 
historians agree in saying, the custom was different, as it 
was also with the ancient Egyptians. The excess of eating 
and drinking, and the character of the dancing at an 
Oriental feast, are beyond the limits of modesty in a 
public discourse. The dancing of men and women in the 
East is far worse than the Polka, which we rejoice to 
know is about to be prohibited in the most respectable 
circles. 

The king, heated with wine, commanded them to bring 
in the vessels of the Jerusalem temple. There was need- 
less insult to the captive Jews, as well as impious blas- 
phemy against their God, in this desecration of their holy 
vessels. It was according to the customs of the times 
and the fortunes of war among the Eastern nations, for 
the victorious party to carry away the idols or images 
worshiped by the vanquished, as well as their treasures 
and other precious things. The prevailing idea was, that 
every nation had its own presiding god or gods, and that 
the respective deities were interested in the wars of their 
worshipers, and that therefore the gods as well as the 
people of a conquered country were vanquished, and 
made the servants of the conquering people and gods. 
The prophets, before the captivity, told the people that if 
they continued impenitent, they and their idols should be 
carried away to Babylon. This was true of the kingdom 
of the ten tribes ; and of Judah it was true that the people, 
and the holy vessels from the temple of God at Jerusalem, 
and the royal treasury were taken to Babylon, 



230 LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

History speaks of the outrages committed on the gods 
of Egypt b J Cambyses, and of the profanation of the gods 
of Babylon by Darius and Xerxes. It was very natural 
that a weak, haughty, and impious monarch like Belshaz- 
zar, when heated with wine, should have sent for the 
splendid temple vessels as evidences of his magnificence, 
and proof that the God of the Jews was inferior to his 
own. Still, the conquest of Jerusalem, the captivity of 
the Hebrews, and the possession of their holy things, gave 
no right to King Belshazzar to insult these poor captives. 
^o King, Synod, Council, Pope, or Sanhedrim has any 
warrant to prescribe my faith, or to insult the humblest 
rite of any man's religion. Let a man's faith be that of 
Hindooism, Mormonism, Mohammedanism, Eomanism, 
or any other ism, no mortal has a right to oppress, or per- 
secute, or insult him for his faith. It is our -duty to be 
able to give a reason for the faith that is in us. It is a 
great misfortune to follow a false faith and worship a false 
god ; it is, therefore, our duty to labor and to pray for the 
conversion of all men from error to truth. It is our duty 
to try to enlighten and convince them, and bring them to 
the knowledge of the true God. "We may labor to con- 
vince our fellow-men of their errors, but we may not per 
secute them nor cast ridicule upon their sacred things. 
The sin consisted mainly in the desecration of that which 
was holy, or the application of the vessels of the temple 
of Israel's God to profane and licentious purposes. Isor^ 
is this sin peculiar to the ancients. Unfortunately, it has 
not been confined to the banks of the Euphrates nor the 
Mle, the Tiber nor the Thames. The same sin is found 
on the banks of the Mississippi. Any and every perver- 



DESEOKATIONS.— USE OF MUSIC. 03I 

sion of holy things is a desecration of them. When the 
sacrament is taken without faith to discern the Lord's 
body, or to cover some sinister design, or to obtain a 
degree in some nniversitj, or as a passport to some office 
or as a qualification for a political or civil sphere, as is 
sometimes done in Great Britain, then the sacred vessels 
of the Lord's house are desecrated to an unholy end. 
When a man professes to be a Christian for any mere 
worldly purpose, then, like Simon Magus, he seeks to 
make gain of godliness, and is guilty of awful hypocrisy. 
"When the facts and the expressions of the Bible, its 
sublime, its pure, and its holy truths are used, as they 
frequently are, to point a pun, add edge to a jest, or keen- 
ness to a sarcasm, to excite a laugh, or to provoke a sneer, 
you have God's vessels desecrated to unhallowed and 
profane ends." It is dangerous to construct jests from 
the Bible. Such a habit indulged will often destroy the 
salutary influence of the most solemn lessons of the Bible. 
It may fairly be called into question whether or not many 
of our musical festivals are not a desecration of holy 
things. The opera, concert, and oratorio, it is true, are 
very different things from the theatre. There is no science 
more noble and more befitting than music for the un- 
folding of the attributes of God, and making more vivid 
and glorious the grandeur of his truth and works. But 
when the awful agonies of Calvary, the deep and soitow- 
ful experiences of the Son of God, and the sublime des- 
criptions of the judgment to come are used and encored 
by an unthinking crowd, I fear there is then a desecration 
of holy things. The noble productions of Handel and the 
mao;nificent oratorios of the masters of music should be 



232 LECTURES ON DAITIEL. 

used as acts of solemn worship, and not at Belshazzar's 
feasts. There are so many ways in which God's vessels 
are desecrated, that I cannot now attempt to point them 
out in detail. In whatever way religion is dragged from 
its lofty and controlling sphere, and made to gild the 
claims of a party or of a sect, then and there we have a 
repetition of Belshazzar's profanation. "When the Sabbath 
is made a day of pleasure, of visiting, feasting, and writing 
letters — when the house of God is used for any thing but 
the purposes of religious worship — then we have an ap- 
proach to the desecration of Belshazzar's feast. It does 
not require all the circumstances of Belshazzar's feast to 
be guilty of his sin. K the heart that was made for God 
is made the throne of Mammon — if the affections are set 
on thkigs earthly, then God is dishonored, and we are 
guilty of desecrating holy things. 

But let us leave this disquisition about the desecration 
of holy things and observe the feast. It was one of the 
greatest splendor. The most spacious and magnificent 
rooms in the richest city in the world were crowded with 
rank and beauty ; wit, learning and aristocracy, and roy- 
alty were there. Precious stones and costly perfumery 
filled the saloons with dazzling lustre and sweetest fra- 
grance. Wit sparkled with the sparkling of cups, and 
reason flowed with the flowing of the wine. They drank 
toasts of enthusiastic patriotism ; they sang songs of 
boundless loyalty, and shouted defiance to every foe. 
The high noon of the splendor of the feast has come. All 
hearts were bounding and all spirits were joyous. But 
what is this ? The cup falls from the king's hand — ^his 
countenance has changed and his thoughts trouble him ; 



C?DLUMBUS' EGa.— THE WRITING. 233 

the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote 
the one against the other. A thrill of terror pierces like 
a sword through every sonl ; many faint, and many shriek 
with alarm. And what is the cause of this strange scene ? 
A mysterious writing appeared upon the plastering of the 
palace wall. No eye was seen there to guide the hand — 
the fingers that traced the characters belonged none knew 
to whom, and the inscription none could read. As the 
king and his lords could not read the inscription, it is 
said, why were they thus afraid ? They were afraid be- 
cause their own consciences condemned them. All men 
who live in sin dread what is future and unknown. But 
the man who is at peace with God sees all events ap- 
proaching him with the assurance that they shall work 
together for his good. 

II. It has been asked why the wise men of Babylon 
could not read the inscription. The words are mainly 
Chaldean. Why could not the Chaldee scholar read 
them then as well as now ? To this we answer, all the 
learned men of Spain could make an egg stand on the 
table after Columbus had shown them how. There will 
doubtless be several claimants for the invention of a 
caloric ship after the Ericsson is unfait accompli . 

Several reasons are assigned by commentators for the 
inability of the king's astrologers to read the writing. 
One is, that the words were written in the ancient Hebrew 
character, the knowledge of which w^as even then lost to 
all except the Jewish priests and scribes, and not in the 
modern Hebrew character, which differs little or nothing 
from the Chaldee. The characters, the forms of the- 
letters in wliich the Old Testament is commonly written, 



234: LECTURES ON DAXIEL. 

is not the ancient Hebrew characters. It is supposed that 
the square form of the letters now used is not the primi- 
tive form. We might take three or more words having 
the same radical letters, and having the same significations 
in Hebrew, Sjriac, and Arabic, and jet a scholar must 
be acquainted with each of these languages before he 
could read these words in all of them. The words are the 
same, but the forms of the letters are different. Latin and 
English letters are alike, but the Greek characters are 
different. So, when, for convenience' sake, the printer 
puts the Greek word aionios in English letters, the mere 
Greek scholar does not know his old acquaintance, nor 
the mere English scholar divine whence it comes nor 
what it means. If the inscription, then, on the wall at 
Belshazzar's feast was in ancient characters, it is not 
strange that his wise men were unable to read it. Others 
think that the words were inscribed in hieroglyphics, of 
which the astrologers had no key, and that we have not the 
original in our Bible, but translations of the forms of the 
letters, as well as of the sense ; others think that the writ- 
ing was intelligible only to such as were aided in reading 
it by the Spirit of God ; and others think they were so in- 
toxicated or so frightened that they could not read. You 
may adopt any or whichever of these opinions about their 
■inability that pleases you best. It is plain, I think, that 
the characters were neither the usual demotic nor hieratic. 
Grotefend has rendered it nearly certain that the Baby- 
lonians used both, and that their magi, like the priests of 
Egypt, were able to read both. I only insist, however, 
on the fact that the king's astrologers could not read this 
inscription, and that Daniel could; and you will be 



WOMAN, MAN'S BEST FRIEND. 235 

pleased, no doubt, to observe how the interpretation was 
brought out It was obtained, as is often the case with 
our greatest blessings, through the agency of woman, the 
aged grandmother of the king, the queen dowager, as our 
European cousins would call her. Blank terror and alarm 
reign in the court. The king and his courtiers are at 
their wit's end. ISiO one seems to be calm and self-pos- 
sessed but Mtocris, the widow of old N'ebuchadnezzar. 
She instantly steps up and suggests that Daniel should be 
sent for, and gives her reason. It is strange that he was 
not thought of before, or that he was not at hand. His 
services to the state seem to have been forgotten. Em- 
pires as well as republics will sometimes be ungrateful. , 
It often happens that a woman, whose sex is usually so 
easily agitated by trifles, when overtaken by some great 
crisis, which calls forth all the latent energies of her soul, 
is found to display a calmness, a magnanimity, a self- 
possession that puts to shame the powers of the other sex. 
Our London friend goes off here into an ecstacy at the 
magnanimity and self-possession of this aged woman. 
The whole history of Christianity does indeed show that 
^ woman is made for a crisis, and happy is he who has one 
at his side in the day of trial. Our earthly happiness 
depends upon the society of an intelligent, amiable wo- 
man — the mere consciousness of the presence of a female 
heart is a great blessing. "Who was last at the cross? 
Who was first at the tomb on the resurrection morn? 
Woman. If Eve was the first in the transgression, her 
daughters have ever been first in healing the sorrows of 
the fall. The vigils of the dead, the beds of the sick, and 
the chambers of the dying are witnesses of her patience 



236 LECTURES ON DANIEL, 

and sleepless care. It is important for young men to 
properly estimate the position of woman. She needs no 
other charter of rights than the Bible, Ko conyentions 
can do for her what Christianity has done. It is the 
ordinance of God that she should be, not the slave, but 
the helpmate and companion ; not the head, but the friend 
of man. Just where woman is placed in her proper 
position, there society culminates in its loftiest grandeur. 
And her proper position is just where the Bible has 
placed her, as daughter, sister, wife, and mother, and 
every where man's best friend and counselor. 

III. These astrologers were not enchanters — they were 
not diviners — they professed no communion with evil 
spirits. They were men who studied the signs of the 
heavenly bodies, and having no written revelations, they 
believed that God had written the past, the present, and 
also something of the future in the sky — that the stars 
were the letters of that revelation, and that by studying 
them they might interpret things to come. In allowing- 
himself, therefore, to be placed at their head, Daniel does 
not violate the laws of Moses against soothsayers, witches. 
and the like Satan-possessed persons. These wise men 
of Babylon were not peeping and muttering spirit rappers, 
whose pretended revelations were filling the land with 
lunatics. They were magi, but not magicians. They 
were philosophers, but not sorcerers. They held com- 
munion with God's outward world, and not with the 
spirits of the dead or with devils. When Daniel, there- 
fore, consented to become the head master of this learned 
body, he became the patron of science, the principal of a 
university, or, as we would say, the President of the 



GOD SEEN IN NATURE. 237 

Smithsonian Institute. J^othing more. Daniel gave no 
countenance to^ and had no sympathy for sorcerers, magi- 
cians, or persons professing to hold communion with evil 
spirits. The Chaldean astrologers and wise men pos- 
fiessed more science than we generally give them credit 
for. Even now, what is more instructive, and refining, 
and elevating than the study of the flowers, the earth, and 
the stars of the sky — ^things bright and glorious above, 
and beautiful around and below? The next best book to 
the written Word of God is the volume of nature. It is 
God's will written " all in capitals." The stars teach as 
well as shine. They are the Creator's throne. 

'• Nature all over is consecrated ground, 
Teeming with growths immortal and sublime." 

ISTature's volume is inferior to Revelation, never con- 
tradictory to it. We see the wisdom, power, and glory 
of the ineffable Godhead in the visible things of creation. 
We can see his smile in the sunbeams, his mercy in pro- 
vidence, his footprints in the depths that are beneath us, 
and his glory in the vast immensity that is above us. 
The astrologers of the distant Euphrates, where the air is 
extremely transparent, the skies brilliant, and the stars 
glowing with tropical splendor, are not to be blamed, if, 
without a Bible such as we have, they took for their Bible 
the book of the outer world, and from it sought to under- 
stand the mind, the purposes, and the will of God. 

Let us then, in bringing home the lessons of this feast, 

TV. Learn^ in the next place., that one sin often leads 

TO ANOTHER. The king makes a feast for his thousand 

lords. He drinks wine before them ; orders in the sacred 



238 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

vessels ; and then thej drink deeper, and become more 
profane, and praise their idols in defiance of Jehovah. 

Sensuality is nsuallj connected with profaneness, and 
both lead to ruin. The king and his lords, instead of de- 
fending their city when closely besieged by a formidable 
enemy, were spending the night in drinking and revelry. 
Such low vices are always sinful, but more so when in- 
dulged in at the time that God's judgments are heavy 
upon us. It is a great mistake to think that sorrow can 
be drowned in the intoxicating cup. It is but to add fuel 
to the flame to flee to sensual excesses as a remedy for 
grief, pain, losses, or bereavement. The records of crime 
abound with cases illustrating the connection between 
sins against the body and our fellow-men, and sins against 
God. Men in drunken frolics proceed to profaneness 
that would make them shudder at other times. It is then 
they throw off the fear of law and justice, and vent their 
unlawful passions, and make a jest of holy things, and 
dishonor religion, and blaspheme against God. Take 
heed, says the apostle, then to yourselves, lest at any tim.e 
your hearts le overcharged with gluttony and drunkenness, 
and that the day of calamity a/nd judgment come upon 
you unawa/res. 

Y. Leaen that theee is gkeat guilt and deserved- 

PUNISHMENT IN NOT TAKING WARNING FEOM THE JUDGMENTS 

OF God upon othees, especially oue own countktmen 
AND ANCESTOES. This matter is often referred to in the 
Bible. Daniel was now, it is thought, about eighty-five 
years of age, a wise and holy man, in whom dwelt the 
spirit of the Most High God. "When he was called before 
the anxious king to interpret the writing, he first reproves 



OBSERVE GOD'S PROVIDENCES. 239 

and admonishes the haughty monarch for not having im- 
proved the dealings of God with his father and grand- 
father. Then Daniel answered and said lyefore the hing^ 
Let thy gifts he to thyself^ and give thy rewards to an- 
other ^ I neither deserve nor desire them. Yet I will read 
the writing unto the Jdng^ and make known to him the 
inter jpi" elation / hut hefore I can exjplain the writing^ it is 
my solemn and painful duty^ as a servant of Jehovah^ to 
try and awaken the king^s mind to serious reflection. The 
time is sliort — the crisis is at hand. • If repentance is now 
available, it must be done quickly. Know then, O thou 
King of Babylon, that the Most High God, &c. — See v. 
18 and 24. As though he had said. You, O king, have 
either wilfully forgotten or wholly neglected to profit by 
the confession of Jehovah's power which your grandfather 
made. Thou, his grandson and successor, notwithstand- 
ing his remarkable edict, and penitence, and conversion, 
hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knowest all 
this. Thou hast not given honor to Him who has the 
supreme disposal of thy affairs and thy life-. Therefore, 
this is thy doom, this is the writing : thou aet weigeted 

IN THE BALANCES AND FOUND WANTING. 

It is a great sin not to observe God's providences, and 
especially in our own families and in our own personal 
history. It is a fearful thing to rebel against God, when 
he is striving to save our souls by calling us to repent 
and forsake our evil ways by the voice of affliction or be- 
reavement. Since your breath and all your ways, the 
avenues of life and death, are in his hands, let it be your 
highest care to glorify him. Daniel condemned Belsliaz- 
zar, not so much for the crimes he was in the act of com- 



240 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

mitting, as for his not having availed himself of the 
opportunities he had had of knowing and doing the will 
of God, The history of his grandfather and of his con- 
version, surely, ought to have taught him who was the 
true God, and how he was to be worshiped. The con- 
demnation at the judgment-day will not be that you 
conscientiously believed a lie, but it will be that you 
neglected the opportunities of acquiring and making your- 
selves acquainted with the truth. The responsibility of a 
man for his belief is just as certain as his responsibility 
for his conduct. Tou must as certainly give an account 
to God for the sentiments, opinions, and principles you 
hold and communicate, as for the deeds done in the body. 
The responsibility for serious errors or for false principles, 
or, as the apostle calls them, " Damnable heresies," does 
not begin at the moment they are embraced, nor end with 
their avowal. The responsibility goes far aback, and may 
rest in part on your teachers, on your companions, on the 
pictures you have looked at, the books you have read, the 
imaginations you have indulged. The condemnation will 
not be that men are in darkness, but that they refused to 
come to the light — ^not that they were dead in trespasses 
and sins, but that they would not come to Christ that they 
might have life. The deist will not be condemned merely 
for his rejection of Eevelation, but for his neglect of the 
means of making himself a Christian. Many a man is 
sincere in error, but his sincerity does not change his 
error into truth. If a man sincerely makes a mistake that 
causes him to lose his property or his life, we may pity 
him, but neither our pity nor his sincerity changes the 
result. He must bear the consequences. The damning 



SINCERITY IN ERROU NO EXCUSE. 241 

fact at the judgment-day will not be that impenitent and 
unbelieving sinners were honest in their delusion, and 
conscientious in their belief of erroneous doctrines ; but 
that thej did. not use the means they had, or could have 
had, to know the truth. The condemnation will be, that 
they spent more time in the study of shells and flowers, 
stars and butterflies, than in the study of Moses and the 
prophets — that they spent more time, and strength, and 
means, and exertions of intellect, in enriching themselves, 
feeding and adorning their bodies, increasing their com- 
missions and rent rolls, than in the prayerful study of 
Christ and his apostles — that they spent more anxious 
moments in studying out how to satisfy their own minds 
that there was no necessity to repent of their sins and be- 
lieve in the vicarious atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
or to establish themselves in the belief that there is no 
devil, no hell, no everlasting punishment, than they ever 
spared for the solution of the great and yet simple ques- 
tion, " What shall I do to be saved ?" — a question which 
we are ready to think should be the first and the last with 
every thinking man. There is fearful guilt in not doing 
our duty, as well as in doing what we are commanded 
not to do. It may be that the very Sabbath which you 
have resolved to spend in dissipation at home might have 
been that on which you would have heard the truth 
which would have saved your soul. It may be that the 
very discourse which, for some slight cause you neglected 
to hear, was the one of all others which would have done 
you good. ^N'ever, therefore, lose an opportunity of hear- 
ing the truth preached as it is in Jesus, if you can pos- 
sibly avoid it. You do not know when the saving word 

16 



242 LECTURES 0:S DA^EL. 

may be spoken that will turn yon from darkness unto 
liglit, and from the power of Satan nnto God. 

YI. and lastly. Leaen to feae tke powee of con- 
SCIENCE. It was a sense of guilt which put Belshazzar 
into such terror, and filled his lords with astonishment. 
There was no thunder, no lightning, no earthquake, no 
assault as yet — nothing but a handwriting on the wall of 
his banqueting hall. For aught he knew of the meaning 
of the writing, it might have been some good tidings of 
victory, some favorable. message from the gods whom he 
was praising in his drunken feast. Why, then, was he so 
alarmed? Why did his countenance change and his 
thoughts trouble hhn^ so that the joints of his loins were 
loosed and, his Icnees smote one against another? Why 
did he cry aloud for some one to tell him the meaning of 
the writing ? Plainly, because he was conscious of being 
sensual and profane, and conscious that such things were 
deserving of punishment. It is conscience that " makes 
cowards of us all." The righteous are bold as a lion, but 
the wicked flee where no man pursueth. It is clear, from 
the history, that a man's own mind can be made the 
source of his greatest terror. No extraneous cause of 
alarm was as yet brought to bear upon the king. It was 
his own consciousness of guilt that tormented him. So 
now God can easily strike terror into the most profligate 
man, by letting his own thoughts loose upon him. '^o 
language can overdraw the picture of a profligate sinner 
left a prey to his lusts, and to an awakened conscience. 
It is not in the power of wine, nor of splendor and com- 
panions, to calm his spirits. Sin, however gilded or 
sugared over, is a misery ; it is an evil and bitter thing. 



TERRORS OF A GUILTY CONSCIENCE. 243 

It was a gii.il ty conscience that made Adam and Eve run 
and hide themselves. It was conscience that made Felix 
tremble when Paul reasoned before him. And what was 
it that made Herod think that Jesus was John the Baptist 
risen from the dead ? He probably was a Sadducee, who 
did not believe in a devil, nor the existence of spirits, nor 
the resurrection ; yet so strong was his conscience, that 
it overpowered his cold convictions, and suggested to hmii 
that John, whom he had beheaded, was risen from the- 
dead, and had come to punish him for his crimes*. 

A guilty conscience is a fearful enemy, but a, good con-- 
science is a man's best friend — it is a perpetual feast. !£■ 
you would be happy, you must keep a clear" conscience,. 
void of offense toward God and man. The only certaio; 
peace is to have the heart staid upon God through Jesus 
Christ. The great doctrines of religion,, therefore, instead 
of leading to licentiousness, or filling the mind with gloomy 
terror, are the best and the only preventives of unhappy 
forebodings. Who is it that lives in habitual fear of the 
officers of the law, and is constantly talking of the pains 
and penalties inflicted on convicted criminals, and trying 
to prove that they are too severe, and should be repealed ? 
Is it the good citizen who is intent only to do his duty 
toward God and man ? Your reading of men and things 
satisfies you that it is not among such that you find con- 
tinual anxiety about the penalties of the law. It is not 
among such that you find unceasing efforts to prove that 
penalties are not penalties, or if, indeed, there be any such 
things, there at least ought not to be such things — efforts, 
so unceasing that they will never, never have done witk 
their statements of the case — never satisfied with thei:^^ 



244: LECTURES OK DANIEL. 

own defense, but ever trying to make them stronger. 
Your observation confirms the Bible declaration, that 
laws and the penalties of law are for evil doers, and not 
for those who live in obedience to the will of God. So a 
little reflection will satisfy you that the old Bible method 
of salvation is not only the true one, but the only one that 
can make you happy. It is admitted men are sinners. It 
is admitted sin deserves punishment. It is admitted that 
as sinners our consciences trouble us. How, then, can we 
be saved from sin? How can we be saved from the guilt 
and consequent terrors of a guilty conscience? Does it 
seem to you that the best way is to set to work to prove 
that there is no evil in sin — that God is too good to punish 
sin— that the terror of conscience is owing altogether to 
the prejudices of education ? Certainly not. Facts, re- 
alities, every one's own experience, prove that such at- 
tempts are vain. These things are not fancies, but dread- 
ful realities. Does it seem to you, then, that the way of 
escape from sin and from the wretchedness of a guilty 
•Kionscience is to spend your life in trying to get arguments 
and facts to prove that there is no hell, no devil, and no 
everlasting punishment? The very fact that some men 
spend all their lives trying to prove that there is no hell, 
no devil, and no everlasting punishment, proves, after all, 
that they themselves are dreadfully afraid of these very 
things. Now there is a more excellent way — a way more 
•philosophical, harmonious, and elevating — a way infinitely 
more suitable for man, and honorable to the laws of the 
imiverse and to God. This way is to acknowledge what 
every one must feel, that we are sinners against God and 
deserve his wrath, and then accept of Jesus Christ as He 



ORTHODOX FAITH TEIUMPHANT. 245 

is offered in the Gospel, as a perfect, all-sufficient Saviour. 
It is true, there is such a thing as sin, and that it is an evil 
and bitter thing. But here is a sacrifice for sin which 
God accepts. He hath made Him^ His own Son^ who 
hnew no sin, to l)e made sin — a sin-offering — an availing 
sin-atonement for us, that we might he onade the righteous- 
ness of God in Him. Who, then, can condemn us ? It 
is God that justifieth. It is true, there is a devil, and a 
hell, and everlasting punishment ; but we have no fear of 
these things. Christ has delivered us. It is true, by na- 
ture and practice, we have a guilty conscience, but we 
are saved from its terrors through faith in Christ, whose 
blood cleanseth us from all sin, and whose Spirit renews 
our hearts, and purifies our affections, and prepares us for 
His glory. Sickness and death, the devil, hell, and ever- 
lasting punishment, are sad realities ; but they are not to 
De feared by us. Death is a conquered enemy ; the grave 
a vanquished foe. The devil is overcome and his works 
destroyed, and we are translated from his kingdom into 
that of God's dear Son. It is no wonder, then, that those 
who reject Christ as a world-redeeming God, and who 
deny the personality and influence of his Holy Spirit, and, 
laugh at the idea of being born again, and of being saved 
by faith in a vicarious atonement, are so unhappy, so much 
annoyed by a guilty conscience, that they can never satisfy 
themselves with their own arguments that there is no 
devil, no hell, and no future and everlasting punishment. 
The happiest and bravest men have ever been those that, 
believing in the realities of their enemies, have adopted 
such means as enabled them to triumph over them, and 
not such as have spent their lives in vain expedients to 



24:6 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

try to prove that there were no such enemies. Which is 
best, to cheat one's self into a delusion, or to believe in 
disagreeable realities, and adopt the sure and certain 
method of escape ? And the more so, since religion is a 
present blessing. Godliness has the promise of the life 
that now is, as well as of that which is to come. The 
blessings of piety are not all reserved for the world to 
come. Her ways are ways of peace in this world, and all 
her paths are paths of pleasantness. Seek ye the king- 
dom OF God and his kighteousness, and all things need- 
ful SHALL be added UNTO YOU. Amen. 



THE KING'S FIDELITY.— CITY'S DOOM. 247 



LECTUKE XII. 

WEIGHED AND WANTING. 

On Dan., v^ 25, 31. 
" Tekel — Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting." 

Bdshazzar's Fidelity to Ms Word. — Defenseless State of the City. — Nations die 
Suicides. — Couture'' s Decadence of the Romans. — Egypfs Doom. — Our Safe- 
ty . — How and vjhy Righteousness exaUeth a Nation. — National Responsibility 
of American young Men. — God Weiglis all Men. — Art of Writing in Moses' 
Day. — Egyptian Book of the Dead. — Bible does not fix the Chronology of the 
Creation., but only the Facts of its Creation and Adaptation to Man. — Objec- 
tions to the Flood. — Size of the Ark. — Top of Ararat. — Quantity of Water. 
—Style and Proportion oftJie Ark. — Sum of Proofs of a Deluge. — Wrath 
upon the Canaanites. — Eerculaneum. — Famine in Ireland. — Spirit of the 
Psalms not Maledictory. — Infidelity dangerous to the State. — The Moral Man 
wanting.— Salvation by Grace does not lead to Sin ^ — True Religion eminently 
conducive to present Happiness. — Orthodox Creed eminently the safest for the 
Future. — Fearfulness of our personal Responsibility. 

I. The first thing that strikes me from the history as it 
opens before ns in the text, is the fidelity of King Bel- 
shazzar. Though he had but an hour to live, he kept his 
promise to the servant of God. See v. 29. Luxurious, 
profane, and wicked as he was, this was one good trait 
in his character. This one good trait did not, however, 
redeem him from the consequences of other sin. 

II. We are struck with the defenseless condition of the 
city. We see how maddened and utterly feeble cities and 
nations become when rijpe for destruction. After a siege 
of more than two years, the king and his lords, instead 
of watching and resisting the attack of their sleepless be- 



248 LECTURES ON DANIEL 

siegers J were engaged in a profane revelry, and were siu> 
prised and slain, and tlie city taken. And thus ended 
the golden empire, of wliich Xebnchadnezzar was the 
head. The heathen proverb that '' Those whom the gods 
wish to destroy they first make mad," seems to contain 
the verity of actual history. In both ancient and modem 
times, it seems that, when God has pronounced the hour 
of a nation's doom, the inhabitants of that nation lose the 
caution, the skill, and the energy they had exhibited be- 
fore, and do themselves precipitate the very result they 
wish so much to avert. iS"ever, j)erhaps, was there a 
more full, palpable, and fearful illustration of this than in 
the destruction of Jerusalem under Titus. Some of you 
may remember the illustration presented in a previous 
lecture of the causes of a nation's decliue and fall, as set 
forth in Couture's '* Decadence of the Romans," in the 
Luxembourg Gallery at Paris. In his pictm-e, life-like 
and true to history, luxury and corruption are represented 
as the causes of the fall of Home, Xations rarely fall 
before a foreign aggressor. Their ruin or theu- glory is 
placed by God within themselves. Epidemics and want, 
and even civil wars, may overturn nations, but do not 
destroy them. These calamities may lessen their power, 
diminish their influence, narrow their limits, but they do 
not blot them out from the map of nations. jSTations die 
suicides. Nothing so soon dissolves the national charac- 
ter as luxury. It is worse than flood or fire. It hurts 
not the trade or agriculture of a people so much as it 
hurts themselves. It produces a degenerate set of men. 
All history shows that it is one of the greatest national 
evils. It is even worse that the temporary loss of free- 



EIGHTEOUSNESS OUR ONLY SAFETY. 249 

dom to a brave and resolute people. It is corruption and 
vice that cut off nations by the root. It is inj&delity and 
credulity that so far materialize men as to smother all 
their generous instincts, and thus destroy their nation- 
alities and annihilate them. It was thus Egypt, once so 
powerful and flourishing, passed, impoverished, into the 
hands of the Mohammedan, and became, and continues 
to this day, according to the predictions of the Hebrew 
prophet, the hasest of 'kingdoms. It was thus Babylon 
fell into the hands of the Mede. A nation true to God 
and loyal to his laws, and with such a history and such a 
local habitation as we have, has nothing to fear from the 
world in arms. But we have a great deal to fear from 
Jesuitism, and from corruption and ignorance. Our 
safety consists in the purity of the ballot-box ; and to pre- 
serve this, we must employ the press in all its thousand- 
fold avenues to the popular mind ; and true religion must 
irradiate our high places, and cast its softening influence 
over the lanes, and alleys, and hovels of our cities, and 
over the mountains and valleys of all our States and Ter- 
ritories. There are two great reasons why righieousness 
exalteth a nation, and why society cannot cohere without 
religion. These are, first, that when a due regard to God 
is lost sight of in the institutions of a nation, or in the 
administration of its affairs, a jarring inevitably ensues 
between the laws and doings of that nation and the 
universe, of which it is a part. This want of harmony — 
this want of conformity to the order of God's government 
— must result in disaster. And as the government of 
God cannot be subverted, every government opposed to 
the divine must in time fall. A second reason is, that all 



250 LECTURES 0^ DANIEL. 

constitutions and laws not in harmony with the universe 
are unsuited to the people placed under them ; and con- 
sequently, discontent, restiveness, and insurrection will 
inevitably arise, sooner or later. If there be not a har- 
mony and adaptation in the laws and institutions of a 
country for the wants of a people, it is impossible there 
should be permanence in its polity. It is, then, a matter 
of incalculable importance to the happiness of mankind 
that civil government should be conducted on religious 
principles. And next to the salvation of their own souls, 
is the responsibility of American young men to study 
the purity, vigor, and perpetuity of their civil institutions. 
It is their duty to see that men of sound religious prin- 
ciples and proper abilities be elevated to offices of power 
and trust. As the principle of immortality in man con- 
sists in his capacity of knowing, fearing, serving, and 
loving God, so is religion the principle of durability in 
social bodies. When the Ship of State is far out at sea, 
and amid the darkness of night, and tempests are raging, 
there is then nothing on which to fix the eye but the 
eternal lights of heaven; then the only sure compass is 
the Word of God. It was very reprehensible, certainly, 
for Belshazzar and his thousand lords to abandon the de- 
fense of the city as they did. They showed themselves 
to be unworthy of the government of such a city. Little, 
indeed, did they think what would be on the morrow. 
Little did they think that the last hours of Babylon had 
come — that the remaining sands in the glass of her des- 
tiny would be emptied ere their banquet should close. 
But before another rising sun, the monarch was slain, his 
nobles captives, and Darius the Mede was sitting on the 



THE SUPREME WEiaHIXG OF MEN. 251 

throne of Nebuchadnezzar, in the great Babylon which 
he had built. And so, when the hour allotted for the 
downfall of an empire or of a dominion, political or eccle- 
siastical, has come, the wheels of Providence will move 
with an irresistible power, and with a fearful velocity ; 
and then all attempts to keep back the tide of divine in- 
dignation will but increase its fury. The wpholders of a 
doomed system always act like doomed men. The ill- 
timed, impious feasting of Belshazzar did more in one 
night for the downfall of Babylon than Cyrus with all his 
troops was able to accomplish in a siege of two years. It 
is an awful thing for an indiyidual or nation to be aban- 
doned of God. 

III. The Bible represents God as weighing all men, all 
their motives and characters. It is a common scriptural 
expression: "The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by 
Him actions are weighed." David also says : " Men of 
low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie ; 
to be laid in the balance they are altogether wanting." 
The Prophet Isaiah says : " Thou most upright dost weigh 
the path of the just." And, again, Solomon tells us, " All 
the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes ; but the 
Lord weigheth the Spirit." These texts are sufficient to 
show that the idea contained in the inscription on the 
palace wall is one frequently found in Scripture. It is 
also found in heathen mythology. It is a common idea 
in the proverbs of the Arabs to this day. The terms of 
the inscription are sufficiently explained by Daniel him- 
self, and need no extended commentary. 

The idea of being weighed by the Judge of quick and 
dead at his judgment-seat in refereuce to our eternal 



252 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

destiny, is certainly a fearful one. Who can think of 
being weighed against God's law ? This law says, " Thon 
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with 
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy 
strength, and thy neighbor as thyself." And it says, 
" Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things 
written in the law to do them." The requirements of 
God's law are absolute, perpetual, supreme. It requires 
all the heart, and at all times, and allows of no cessation 
of its love and obedience. This law is placed in one scale, 
and every man's character is placed in the opposite scale, 
and thus every man's doom is to be fixed, and that for- 
ever. What, then, have we to place in the scales of the 
sanctuary ? One is ready to say, " I have not kept the 
law of God, but I place in the opposite scale my objections 
to it. Indeed, I object to the law of God and the revel- 
ation of His will, and the whole subject of Bible religion ; 
and I do so for several reasons." Well, let us hear them. 
First. "The law of God so called is contained in the 
book called the Bible, and the first five books of the Bible 
are said to have been written by Moses ; but I do not 
believe this, for in the days of Moses the art of writing 
was not known. Man was not then sufficiently advanced 
from his primitive sav ageism to have written any such 
books." This is a bold and clearly stated objection, and 
if it is as true and heavy as it claims to be, it will certainly 
weigh down its end of the scale. But let us look at it. 
You know that ISTapoleon invaded Egypt, and that a corps 
of scientific men accompanied his army to, examine the 
hieroglyphics, and explore in the most thorough manner 
possible its far-famed antiquities ; and you know that they 



ART OF WRITma.— EGYPTIAN" TOMBS. 253 

climbed the Pyramids and entered the tombs, and visited 
the chambers of Egypt's embahned kings ; and you ought 
to know, alsoj that in these sepulchral chambers they 
found many manuscripts as old at least as the time of 
Moses, and one which it is believed was written two cen- 
turies before his day. These manuscripts were found 
with the mummies and funeral relics which were deposit- 
ed in the tombs. They have been read and published to 
the world. They contain their burial service and rites 
for the dead. And thus the matter-of-fact discovery of 
the French savans have silenced the objection that infidels 
made for centuries against the Pentateuch. It is only 
with the ignorant or malicious that such objections can 
now do their mischievous work. 

Secondly. " It is alleged that the Bible cannot be relied 
on as teaching the will of God, for it asserts that the world 
was made about six thousand years ago. This cannot be 
true, for the learned now tell us that this world must have 
existed millions of ages." In weighing this objection, let 
it be observed that it is not correctly stated. The Bible 
does not say that God created the world about six thou- 
and years ago. Moses says nothing on this point. He 
only tells us that in the heginning God created the heavens 
and the earth. The beginning may have been millions 
of millions of ages anterior to man's creation. It is evi- 
dent that Moses only designs to speak of two great facts ; 
first, that God is the Ceeator of all things ; and secondly, 
that God prepared and adapted, according to his account, 
the globe for the introduction of man upon it. In the 
second place, let it be remembered that geologists are 
crude, unsatisfactory, and contradictory still in their spec- 



254 LECTURES ON DAKIEL. 

ulations aoout tlie age of the eartli. Thej are not agreed 
among themselves. Thej are guilty of monstrous errors 
in much of their past reasoning, themselves being judges. 
There is a great ^ant of facts among them. And, thirdly, 
their investigations have resulted in the conviction that 
the human race cannot have existed on this globe for a 
longer period than that asserted by Moses. And thus 
science, in the hands of the most eminent geologists, 
instead of contradicting the Mosaic account, gives what- 
ever influences she has in its favor. " Thou art weighed 
in the balances, and art found wanting." 

Thirdly. Another says, " There is so much about the 
deluge in the Pentateuch that I do not understand, that 
I object to the whole Bible, and to revealed religion al- 
together. There was not water enough to drown the 
world. The ark was not large enough to contain one 
half of the animals for which it was intended ; and it was 
such a miserable, clumsy old hulk that it could not have 
floated any how, and if it did ever get to the top of Ararat, 
there is so much ice and snow there that old Xoah coald 
never have descended. I do not understand these things, 
and therefore I do not believe in evans^elical relisjion." 
There is so much crowded into this objection, that only a 
word or, two can be spared for each point. 

I. You do not understand all the points involved in the 
history of the flood ; neither do I, nor any one else. The 
most eminent scholars and geologists confess their ignor- 
ance on this subject. But your want of understanding is 
certainly no good reason for denying the truth of the his- 
tory. You do not understand your own existence. There 
are a thousand things all around you that are unques- 



ARARAT.— ANIMALS IN THE ARK. 255 

tioned realities, and yet you do not understand them. 
There are mysteries in nature as well as in religion. Holy 
mysteries are rather a proof of the truth of the Bible than 
otherwise. If you will not receive as true any thing till 
you can comprehend every thing about its essence and 
laws of existence, then you will perish of starvation, for 
you must inevitably die before you can comprehend the 
analysis of your food, and how it sustains the animal 
economy. 

II. As to the tojp of Ararat, it is admitted that the term 
Ararat signifies a whole chain of mountains. Koah may 
not, therefore, have had so far to descend. The ark prob- 
ably rested on one of the lower spurs of that mountain 
range. It may, moreover, not have been so cold just 
after the fiood as it is now in Armenia ; and besides, 
could not the same God that piloted him over the seas 
have helped him down from the highest snowy peak of 
all Ararat? 

in. As to the size of the ark, it is ascertained that it 
was about as large as eighteen of the largest ships of our 
day. 

The distinct sjpecies of four-footed animals known amount 
to but about two hundred and fifty. These eighteen ships 
will carry twenty thousand men, with eighteen hundred 
pieces of cannon, and provisions for six months. Who 
then can for a moment doubt that the ark, built, not for a 
clipper race from Shanghai to London — not for speed nor 
for beauty, but merely for buoyancy and strength, would 
afford accommodations for these two hundred and fifty 
pairs of quadrupeds, with the specified number of birds 
and insects, and eight human beings^ with provisions for 



256 LECTURES OX DANIEL. 

a year ? It seems almost like trifling to answer such 
arguments, and yet deists are scattering them about 
among the ignorant and the credulous as powerful objec- 
tions to the credibility of the Scriptures. The fact is, as 
stated by Bishop Wilkins, " That of the two it is more 
difficult to assign a number and bulk of necessary things 
to answer to the capacity of the ark, than to find sufficient 
room for the several species of animals and their food 
abeady known to have been there." 

There is one very interesting fact in this connection 
deserving of notice. " It can be proved to demonstration 
that the proportion of the length to the breadth, and of 
both to the height, in IS'oah's ark, is exactly that which 
renders any substance the most buoyant and the most 
perfectly secure even in a storm." ]^ow it is a question 
really deserving of thought, how did J^oah obtain such 
skill in architectural dimensions ? It has been the result 
of long experience and careful observation by which 
architects of the present day have obtained this knowl- 
edge. It has not come to them intuitively. How then 
does it happen that Koah, so long ago, was so accom- 
plished a ship-builder? The deist cannot answer — the 
Bible believer has no difficulty. 

lY. As to the quantity of water ^ it is somewhat difficult 
to know what to say to a man who has such crooked 
ideas of Omnipotence as to think that He who made all 
worlds and all oceans is unable to roll a flood of waters 
over this little globe. But frivolous as such objections 
are, they are not unanswerable. Bold assertions are not 
arguments. First. It is not believed by all Bible readers 
that the deluge was universal. I so understand the He- 



■WATER ENOUGH FOR THE DELUaE. 257 

brew record ; but some others read it differently. Second- 
ly, Nearly three-fourths of the whole surface of the globe 
are now covered with water ; and how much more water 
the Creator could pour upon the land has never yet been 
accurately determined. Kor has it ever been shown that 
the Creator could not so sink the portions of land now 
dry as to cover them with water — -just such a process as 
was probably carried out in the flood. Thirdly. The 
fact of a deluge is certain. Tradition, history, and geo- 
logy prove there must have been such a thing, and all 
agree in fixing the time about the period assigned to 
ISToah's flood in the Bible. The rocks, caverns, and moun- 
tains of the earth must have been at some former period 
covered with water. How else can we account for skele- 
tons of whales on the sides of high mountains, far from 
the ocean ? How else can we account for the remains of 
animals, in the frigid regions of the ISTorth, that can live 
only in the torrid zone ? All science testifies that some 
great convulsion has taken place in our planet. The fact 
that there has been a deluge is written in living charac- 
ters upon the face of nature. K you could blot out the 
record from the Bible, still the evidence remains indis- 
putable. This objection, when weighed in the balances, 
like the others we have had before it, is found wanting. 

Fourth. Another says, "I do not believe the Bible to 
be the Word of God, because the Hebrews were ordered 
to urge an exterminating war upon the Canaanites. Men, 
women, and children were put to death. It is impossible 
to believe that God would issue such a command." In 
weighing this objection, our first remark is, that God may 

use whatever instruments he pleases for the execution of 

17 



258 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

his judgments. In point of fact, He does use pestilence 
and famine, fire, flood, and earthquake ; why may He not 
also use the sword? Was it not God that sent disease 
into the esculent roots of Ireland; and, for the want of 
their accustomed food, men, women, and children died ? 
Was it not God who poured an ocean of burning lava on 
Herculaneum and Pompeii ? Then, neither age nor in- 
fancy, neither mother nor babe, was spared. All were 
overwhelmed in indiscriminate destruction. Was it not 
God that shook the foundation of the earth, and opened 
one wide grave for thousands of the inhabitants of Lis- 
bon ? What but the providence of God sent the Asiatic 
cholera into the cities and towns, and along the river 
coasts of Europe and America, sparing neither age, sex^ 
nor color ? In point of fact, then, this objection is just as 
powerful against the God of nature a,s against the God of 
Revelation. Even, therefore, if we could see no reason 
why God should exterminate the Canaanites, we are not 
at liberty to cavil at the fact, any more than at the devas- 
tations of earthquakes, floods, pestilence, and famine. 
But, secondly, we do see a reason. Their cup of iniquity 
was full. Their day of grace and of probation was ended. 
They were abandoned to the most polluting idolatry. 
Their destruction was, therefore, nothing but the execu- 
tion of the divine penalty upon their sins. It will not 
be denied that God has a right to exterminate an aban- 
doned nation in any way that shall seem best to him,, 
either by flood, or pestilence, or famine, or sword. In 
point of fact, He has often done this. IS'or will it be 
denied that, in so doing, God may inflict the judgment in 
iiuch a way as to produce the deepest impression of the 



IMPRECATIONS IN THE PSALMS. 259 

enormity of sin upon the minds of those that survive. 
This objection is, therefore, found wanting. 

Fifthly, It is objected, again, "That the Psalms, which 
are conspicuous in Christian worship, and much read and 
admired by Christians, are nothing but the ravings of 
malice or of personal revenge. David, or whoever was 
the author of the Psalms, instead of forgiving his enemie 
and praying that God would bless them, imprecates ^~ 
geance upon their heads ; and yet it is said in the ^ ^ 
that the Psalms are dictated by the Holy Spirit.'^ 
in answer to this, let it be remembered, / 

1. That in many of those passages in which^^^^ ^^^^ 
strong language against his enemies, he.'^®^^ ^ 
personal or political enemies— not to hi^^l^^'"^®^ ^^ 
enemies of his body, of his family, or of ''^ kingdom, but 
to the enemies of his soul, those that y^^ seeking to de- 
prive him of his salvation. He sp^/^ <>f ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ 
evil spirits, and wicked men as ina^^®^^^ ^^ *^® devil. 

2. The words which are render^ i^^ ^ur version in the 
imperative mood and present /^^^ ^^^j ^^ ^^^ Hebrew, 
in the indicative mood and f/^^® tense. The passages, 
then, simply declare what^^i^^ t>efaU the incorrigibly 
wicked and finally impe^^tent. David was a prophet, 
and foresaw the end of ^e wicked and of all that forget 
God. 7 

3. Let us suppose Aorrid murder was committed at 
our very door. Th^ axe and the knife of robbers have 
covered the floor ^f our friend's dwelling with the mangled 
bodies of the family. A Christian man, appalled by such 
a horrid spectacle, prayed, in the fervor of his morning 
prayer, " O God, bring these guilty men to justice ! let 



260 LECTURES ON DANIEI* 

them not escape I let swift retribution overtake them ; let 

them suffer just punishment for their crime, that the honor 

of our laws may be preserved, and that terror may fill 

the hearts of the wicked." And does the infidel crj out. 

" "What a revengeful, malicious wretch this man must be ! 

Instead of praying that these murderers may escape and be 

prospered, he prays that they may be brought to justice?'^ 

nd is this really the issue ? Does the infidel mean that 

">od raan ought not to pray that the laws should be 

^d, magistrates obeyed, the innocent protected, and 

& ^y brought to punishment, in order that peace and 

. ^^^ '^J i*eign over society V Is it out at last that 

"^ ^ ^dangerous to the state, and at war with estab- 

hshed pubL ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^ ^^^ j^^ g j^^^^ ^^^ caviller 

^ ■^^ H it is wicked to pray that those who are 

enng Hre-bv^^g^ arrows, and death through the com- 

um y, may be s^^ ^^^ ^^ prison, and punished accord- 

ing to law and justi. , jf ^^^ ^]^^^ ^^y j^^^ ^^ established 

order, is malignant an ^ be put down. But mankind 

have determined to th. contrary. Their experience is, 

that established laws, enfo,ed by penalties, are absolutely 

necessary for the happines. of mankind. The same is 

distinctly taught in the Bible. And observation teaches 

ns, moreover, that those who r.^eive the Bible, and Uve 

under the conviction of a judgme,t to come, and a belief 

m future rewards and punishment., are the best citizens, 

bravest soldiers, and purest patriots ; while, on the other 

hand, those that have the impudence and arrogance to 

assert that God is too good to punish men for their sins 

by shutting them up in the prison of hell, are dangerous 

men m society. He that fears God, regards his fellow 



THE MORAL MAN WEIGHED. 261 

man. Botli worlds are best cared for when thej are taken 
care of together, and the present life is made a preparation 
for the life to come. 

Sixthly. Another says, "I have nothing to do with 
these absurd infidel cavils you have named. I would not 
consider them worthy of any serious notice. I am just in 
all my dealings with my fellow-men. I owe no man any 
thing. I try to do my duty as a good citizen." And we 
will add, that such an one is all he claims to be, and even 
more ; he is high-minded, honorable, generous, and char- 
acterized by every social, personal, national, and domestic 
excellence. But what is the result, when all these social 
virtues, and all this public spirit, and all this commercial 
integrity (and would to God that such things were more 
common,) are placed in the scale opposite to the holy, 
unchanging, everlasting law of God? The experiment 
will inevitably show that "by the deeds of the law no 
man living can be justified." Then will the Judge say, 
It is true you have done well, but you have not done all 
your duty. You have done justly toward man, but how 
stands the account in reference to your Creator? You 
have acted generously toward society, but how have you 
acted toward God ? You have kept the last six command- 
ments, but what have you done with the four first .^ If 
you have kept the second ta])le of the law, why have you 
broken the first ? Have you loved your neighbor as your- 
self? Have you loved God all your life-long, every mo- 
ment, with ALL TOUK HEART, MIND, AND STRENGTH ? If HOt, 

then 3^ou are found wanting. But is not the case better 
with this man's neighbor, who, in addition to such amiable 
instincts, and social virtues, and business traits, is a re- 



262 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

gular baptized member of the Cburcb ? He is strict in 
all bis religious duties ; be always bows at tbe name of 
Jesus — wears black on Good Friday, and di*esses in white 
upon Easter Sunday — is never absent from confession, or 
vespers, or communion ; he is at the prayer-meeting, the 
Bible class, the Sabbath-school, and can repeat the Creed, 
the Ten Commandments, and the Lord's Prayer. Surely, 
such an one will weigh well in the scales of the sanctuary. 
Alas ! it is nowhere written in the law that such things 
as these will be taken as substitutes for obedience to the 
will of God, and for the want of the devotion of the heart 
to Him. The law of God is not satisfied with forms and 
ceremonies ; the rubrics do not silence the thundering 
sound of the Judge's solemn voice, saying, Who hath re- 
quired this at your hand ? He hath required love. You 
reply, I have done penance ; I have performed this good 
work ; and you are weighed and found altogether want- 
ing. 'Nov will it at all alter your case to say, I am sincere 
in my views. Sincerity added to heresy does not make 
it true. No doubt there are sincere unbelievers, as there 
are sincere Moslems and sincere madmen. Saul of Tarsus 
said, " I verily thought that I ought to do many things 
contrary to the name of Jesus." He was as sincere in his 
persecution of Christians before his conversion as he was 
sincere in his preaching the Gospel and suffering for it 
afterward. Sincerity deserves to be treated with respect 
and pity ; but it is impossible that sincerity can make 
error truth, or save us from the consequences of our errors. 
Our accountability rests in the use of the means given us 
for the discovery of the truth. The matter is brought 
down to a very definite point. The Bible considei^s all 



THE WEIGHED AND WANTING. 263 

under sin. The Bible says, " There is none good, no, not 
one." " If we say that we have no sin, we deceive our- 
selves and the truth is not in us." There is no one that 
seriously looks at his heart and life, and the requirements 
of God's holy law, who does not feel, " If thou, O Lord, 
shouldst mark iniquity, who would stand ?" If all have 
sinned and come short of the glory of God, how, then, can 
we meet his law ? Are we all found wanting, and brought 
under the fearful inscription Tekel? Blessed be God, 
there is a more excellent way. " God is just, and yet the 
justifier of them that believe in Jesus." "For of God 
Christ is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctifica- 
tion, and complete redemption." 

" Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every 
one that believeth." 

" God hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for 
us," &c. 

Against the law, therefore, is weighed the magnifier of 
the law. Against the law, with its infinite demands, is 
weighed the infinite righteousness of him that made it 
honorable. Against the sin of disobeying God's law is 
placed the blood of His own Son, which cleanseth from 
all sin. Against Mount Sinai, in one end of the scale, is 
placed Calvary, in the opposite scale, and the voice of 
pardon from the latter prevails over the thundering and 
terrors of the former. When we look on the law, the in- 
scription impressed upon every soul is, " Weighed and 
found wanting.'' But when we look at Christ, who is our 
righteousness, then the inscription, " Tekel," is washed 
away in his precious blood, and the following glorious 
and illuminated characters are inscribed in their stead • 



264: LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

" Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with 
God through our Lord Jesus Christ." We are " complete 
in Christ, without spot or blemish, or any such thing." 

Who, thei^, aee weighed axd found waiting? The 
atheist, the pagan, the unbeliever, the profane, the evil- 
doer, and the vicious. "Whoremongers and idolaters 
God will judge." "Drunkards cannot inherit the king- 
dom of God." " All liars shall have their part in the 
lake that burneth with fire and brimstone." And also 
all the impenitent and unbelieving; for it is written, 
" Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." " Ex- 
cept a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of 
God." This being born again is not mere baptism, nor is 
it a mere outward reformation. It is a total transforma- 
tion of character. It is a change from darkness and sin 
to a state of light and holiness. It is to become a new 
creature. Do not allow yourselves, my young friends, to 
be deceived on this matter. It is declared to be an essen- 
tial point by our Lord himself. Men may laugh at re- 
generation, but to be saved we must be converted. And 
what is conversion ? It is not seriousness — ^it is not con- 
viction — it is not conformity to any mere outward require- 
ment, but a thorough, inner, radical revolution of mind. 
It is not a change of the features of the face. It is not a 
revolution of the intellect, but of our views, preferences, 
wishes, and hopes. It is not an ecstasy, an emotion, or a 
passion. It is not an outcry — it is not religious excite- 
ment — it is not ecclesiastical zeal. It is life from the 
dead ; it is a new heart and a right spirit within us, 
created by the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of justification 
by faith is sometimes greatly misrepresented. Even in 



EYIDENCES OP SALYATIOK 265 

the days of the Apostle Paul, as now, it was charged with 
leading to licentiousness ; but nothing is further from the 
truth. The whole Gospel method of salvation comprises 
holiness as essential. Without holiness no man can see 
God ; without holiness no one can be happy. Christ is 
called Jesus, because he saves his people fpvOm theik sms. 
Good works are not the procuring cause, but the evi- 
dences of our salvation. Penitence, faith, and charity, 
and holy living, are essential to happiness. Just in pro- 
portion that men are vicious, so are they subjects of 
misery. All men, therefore, who are living in the prac- 
tice of any known, deliberate, and voluntary sin are 
"weighed and found wanting." Creeds, and baptisms, 
and confessions of faith avail nothing without a living 
faith in Christ, which, while it justifies, also works by love. 
It is solemn mockery for a man to profess his faith in 
Christ, and yet live in disobedience to his commands. 
Whoever takes the name of Christ upon him, must be 
careful to maintain good works, and to depart from all 
iniquity. Do not imagine that you are a Christian, if you 
harbor deliberately pride, avarice, ambition, vain-glory, 
covetousness, which is idolatry, murdering, discontent, 
bitterness, lying, evil-speaking, and slandering. All who 
knowingly indulge in such things will be found wanting 
when weighed by the Searcher of all hearts. 

'Never forget that you need the work and righteousness 
of Christ, and the work of the Spirit of God in you to fit 
you for heaven. Amiable instincts, commercial virtues, 
and social excellences are praiseworthy. These things 
are lovely and of good report, and are earnestly to be 
coveted, but they cannot procure the pardon of sin. They 



266 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

give no title to heaven, nor do they produce any fitness 
for its services. Constitutional morality and amiableness 
of temper often exist without faith and penitence. If 
constitutional morality and amiableness of natural dis- 
position entitle us to heaven and prepare us for its glory, 
then two things are palpable. First, that many people 
cannot in any way or on any account ever be happy ; for, 
without inquiring into the cause, or stopping to show why 
it is so, it is a fact that many people are born with indif- 
ferent moral constitutions, and with positively bad dis- 
positions. Secondly, in regard to those that are more 
fortunate by birth and education, there was no necessity 
for Christianity at all. Mere heathen morals are sufii- 
cient, if such things entitle us to, or prepare us for, 
heaven. Then Christ died in vain ; the Holy Spirit is 
useless. But it is not thus you read the Holy Scriptures. 
"What are called evangelical sentiments on this subject 
recommend themselves to you by two plain and powerful 
considerations. First. Such sentiments are not only true 
and clearly according to the teachings of the Bible, and 
supported by a large majority of the great, the learned, 
and the pious, in all ages of the world, but they are 
EMINENTLY coNDiJcivE TO PRESENT HAPPINESS. Evangelical 
views of religion are pre-eminently the views that produce 
happiness in the present life. The reasons of this are 
palpable. Such views take hold of present realities, and 
embrace a sufficient remedy for present evils. This is 
true of an individual man and of the human race. Such 
views supply an antidote for earth's sorrows. They fix 
the mind on high and ever-enduring sources of consola- 
tion ; they stay the heart upon God ; they appease the 



WHAT SENTIMENTS AEE BEST AND SAFEST. 267 

crying of the human soul for reconciliation with its Maker. 
The altars and victims of all ages and of all races are 
satisfied in the sacrifice of the Lamb of God. All things 
are ours in Christ. Peace of conscience and the abundant 
fruits of the Spirit cannot fail to make a happj man. In 
keeping God's laws there is great reward. Godliness 
with contentment is great gain in the present world, as 
well as in the world to come. 

But, again, our views of religion claim your attention, 
because they are not only pee-eminently conducive to 
happiness even now, but they are the safest fok the 
futuke: 

With the conviction on our mind that they are true, 
and according to the Scriptures, this is an exceedingly 
low point of view. But for the sake of illustrating our 
argument, suppose the opponent of evangelical sentiments 
is correct, what does he gain ? He gains nothing, either 
in this world or the world to come. The evangelical be- 
liever fares as well as he does. He loses nothing. But 
suppose the rejecter of evangelical religion is mistaken, 
that he is in error, as he most certainly is, then what is 
the result ? He loses every thing. If it were possible for 
you to be in error by believing the Scriptures and receiv- 
ing the atonement, and striving for a new heart, even then 
you lose nothing ; but if such things are true, then he who 
rejects them is weighed in the balance and found wanting. 

Finally. Live under the habitual conviction that all 
your actions must be weighed in the just balances of the 
eternal God. " It is appointed unto all men once to die, 
and after death the judgment." 

"We must all appear before the judgment-seat of 



268 LECTURES ON DAKIEL. 

Christ." An awful scrutiny, therefore, awaits every one 
of us at the bar of God. Well then might we say with 
the late sage of Marshfield, that the greatest idea that 
could ever enter a man's mind is his personal account- 
ability to God. The very nature of the constitution of the 
universe requires that there should be a final judgment, 
and that there should be a difference between those that 
serve God and those that serve him not. As there is good 
and evil, so there is a God and there is a devil ; and com- 
mon sense, as well as reason and revelation, teaches that 
there must be a separation of the righteous and the wicked. 
Accordingly, our Lord has told us that the righteous shall 
go away into life everlasting, and the wicked into ever- 
lasting punishment. The duration of the happiness, of the 
righteous is in this place and in other Scriptures explained 
by the very same Greek term that is used to express the 
dm'ation of the punishment of the wicked. It is impossi- 
ble for language to be plainer, and for the teachings of 
the Bible to be more positive than they are as to the 
characters and destinies of the righteous and the wicked. 
Since, then, these things are so. What shall we do to he 
saved f The way of salvation is through faith in Christ. 
All of our race, when weighed in the balances of God, are 
found wanting. It is Christ, and Christ only, who can 
turn the scale in favor of any of Adam's race. But He is 
an almighty, and everlasting, and gracious Saviour. He 
casts out none that come to Him. He that helieveth shall 
he sa/ced y he that helieveth not shall he damned. 



BABYLON'S LAST NiaHT. 269 



LECTUKE XIII. 



On Dan., vi., 1-11. 

A Tragedy in four Acts on the last Night of the Babylonian Empire. — Feast 
described. — Kerodotus andXenophon detail the Fulfillment of DanieVs Fredic 
tions. — Cyrus'' grand Review. — Gyaxares. — Darius. — Men for Places, not 
Places for Partisans. — Division of Labor. -^ As good Patriots, pray for yow 
Rulers. — Six Satraps not too many. — Daniel a model Statesman. — Statesmen 
slwuld be pious as well as capable. — Daniel envied. — His Promotion not con- 
firmed by the State: why. — Cunning Politicians. ■'^DanieVs Danger. — No 
Impeachment can lie except in the matter of his Religion. — The Conspiracy 
a/rranged. — The TYRANNY of the Edict against Prayer. — DanieVs Oratoire. 
— His Mother'' s Principles deeply rooted. — " Toward Jerusalem^'' does not 
authorize high Altars looldng to the East. — Daniel was not a mere heart 
Christian, but a CONFESSOR — a Man for a Crisis. 

LESSONS. 

I. Trials burn away the dross. 
II. Learn patience and prudence under trials. Foundation of all 

LAW IS the will of God. 

III. Surrender tourseltes in youth cheerfully and unresertedly 
to the service op God. 

I. The two last lectures comprised a visit to the city 
and court of Babylon under most extraordinary circum- 
stances. "We were at a royal feast, on tlie last night of 
the existence of the Babylonian empire, which began in 
great splendor, proceeded with unexampled mirth, and 
became impious, and ended in fearful disasters. In this 
most imposing tragedy were four acts. 

First Act. — A magnificent banquet — joy, splendor, be* 



270 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

witching beauty, sparkling wines, rich dresses, glittering 
jewelry, enchanting music— an assemblage of wit, rank, 
and beauty, such as could be seen only in the metropolis 
of the world. 

The Second Ad opens like a flash of lightning. A 
hand, silent and terrible, comes out on the plastering of 
the palace wall, and writes, MEl^E, MEKE, TEICEL, 
UPHAESIN. The king is seized with terror—utters a 
piercing cry— his limbs tremble— his countenance is 
changed — his eyes are fixed— his joints are loosed and 
his knees smite together — he calls for his wise men ; and 
the whole assembly is thrown into the same inexpressible 
anguish. 

Third Act, — ^The queen dowager enters— she is receiv- 
ed with marks of profound respect — she comes not as the 
wife of the king, but with the authority of the queen- 
mother. But does she come to read herself the mys- 
terious writing % Can she explain this appalling prodigy ? 
All is silent. Let us hear her speak : " O king," says she, 
" live forever ! There is a man in thy kingdom in whom 
is the Spirit of the holy God. In the days of thy father, 
light, and understanding, and wisdom, like the wisdom 
of the gods, was found in him ; he interpreted dreams, 
and showed hard sayings, and resolved doubts. Let him 
be sent for ; he is the only man in your kingdom who can 
explain these awful mysteries." 

Fourth Act. — ^Daniel arrives. What a moment ! Here 
are the thousand lords— the women of the harem, in their 
extravagant and licentious attire — ^here are the festive 
tables — the unhallowed remains of a royal debauch — the 
golden vessels of Jehovah's temple of Jerusalem, still full 



DANIEL IN THE ALABMED COURT. 271 

of the wine of their impure libations. The lamps, amid 
all the splendors of the palace, still beam upon a thous- 
and countenances on which terror is depicted-— the king 
himself, lately so joyous and so proud, is now trembling, 
dejected, gasping for breath. But while such were the 
scenes going on beneath the porticoes of the palace, and 
on the terraces, and in the hanging gardens of Babylon, 
night reigned over the Eastern World. The stars, in 
silence, were filling their offices in the heavens ; and in 
the cam-p of the Medes and Persians, without the walls 
of Babylon, not a sound was heard. The besieging army 
appears more silent and more tranquil than ever. And 
now the Hebrew prophet enters the royal presence. He 
is an old man, grown gray with years ; his venerable 
countenance beams with devotional intelligence. The 
monarch reminds him, by his salutation, that though he 
has sent for him, yet he was only a captive and a slave. 
" Art thou that Daniel, which art of the children of the 
captivity, whom the king my father brought out of the 
Jewry ? I have heard of thee, that thou canst make in- 
terpretations. ISTow if thou canst read this writing, thou 
shalt be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold 
about thy neck, and thou shalt be third ruler in the king- 
dom." Whereupon Daniel reads the interpretation and 
is rewarded as the king promised. But, according to 
Daniel's words, that very night " was Belshazzar, the king 
of the Chaldeans, slain ; and Darius, the Median, took 
the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old." 
Read here chap, vi., 1-11. 

You are aware that all that the prophets predicted con- 
cerning the fall of Babylon was fulfilled to the letter. 



272 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

even to the minutest details. The accounts of Herodotus 
and Xenophon, who lived two hundred years after Cyrus, 
are in perfect accordance with the great scenes of this 
wonderful transaction, as recorded in Daniel, and foretold 
by other prophets. The confederate armies of Media and 
Persia were entrusted to the command of young Cyrus, 
who, without his or their knowledge, was to be the con- 
queror of Babylon, according to Isaiah, and Jeremiah. 
Cyrus, having taken the city, held a review of his cavalry 
in the streets and squares. Four thousand horsemen, as 
the royal body-guard, were stationed before the gates of 
the palace, and two thousand more on either side. "When- 
ever he went out, these marched before him, and two 
thousand lancers followed. 'Next followed four great 
divisions of the army of ten thousand horse in each ; and 
lastly, two thousand war chariots, armed with scythes, 
four abreast, closed the order of march. The army re- 
viewed by Cyrus in Babylon is estimated to have consist- 
ed of one hundred and twenty thousand horse and six 
hundred thousand foot, numbers not at all improbable in 
the armies of the East. 

Darius the Mede was not present when Babylon was 
taken. Although Cyrus was the conqueror of the Baby- 
lonians, he did not reign ostensibly over the Modes and 
Persians, for both his father and mother were still alive. 
After his great victory, he went to visit his parents in 
Persia, and his uncle, the Darius of Daniel, called also 
Cyaxares, who was also the father-in-law of Cyrus, return- 
ed with him to regulate the affairs of the empire. It was 
to him that Cyrus yielded the first place. And after such 
a grand review as that which I have just spoken of, Cyrus 



DANIEL UNDER DARIUS.— MEN FOR PLACES. 273 

left Babylon to lead an army to the shores of the Red 
Sea. It was during his absence that the events of the 
sixth chapter took place. Darius reigned only two years 
over the Babylonian empire, and under his reign Daniel 
was cast into the den of lions. According to verses 1 and 
3, Darius, finding Daniel in favor, continued him in office. 
All classes were, no doubt, occupied with his predictions. 
He had read the mysterious words on the wall, and fore- 
told the destruction of the king and the loss of his empire. 
It was no doubt also now called to mind how that for 
half a century he had served the great l^ebuchadnezzar. 
The conquerors were no doubt made well acquainted with 
his wisdom, his probity, his presence of mind, and eleva- 
tion of character. His incomparable excellence of spirit 
and talent for government recommended him to the chief 
bureau of the presidencies. Men should be selected for 
places, and not places made for friends. Men should be 
appointed to office who have shown themselves to possess 
capacity and integrity in the situations they have already 
occupied ; and one proof of their requisite qualifications. 
for office is, that they have the good sense and modesty 
to stay at home and diligently attend to their business 
until their services are called for by a discerning public. 
History and experience have shown that it is better for 
individuals and for society that there should be a division 
of labor, and different grades in society, and different 
avocations ; and that society is best which allows to all 
the free pursuits of life and happiness in such avocations 
as may be individually selected, and guarantees to them 
security and enjoyment in the awards of tlieir several 

pursuits. "Without such division, freedom, and guarantee, 

18 



274: LECTURES ON DAKIEL. 

the arts and sciences can never be carried on to perfection. 
It has ever been one of the greatest tests of character and 
of talent, as well as one of the most delicate and difficult 
trusts of government, to select suitable men for 'public 
services. Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon ; ISTebu- 
chadnezzar, Cjrus, Alexander, and, greater than all — ex- 
cept the Bible heroes — Cromwell and ISTapoieon, were re- 
markable for ther ability in this. And as you and all 
Christians should pray daily for all in authority, so you 
should never forget to implore Him who is the foimtain 
of wisdom to give a discerning of spirits and sound under- 
standing to all rulers, that they may be able to find men 
that fear God and are .anxious for his glory, to fill the 
various offices of government. When God would punish 
a people for their sins, he says, "I will give their children 
to be their princes, and babes shall reign over them." — 
Isaiah iii., 4. 

II. For an answer to the objection made to the very 
beginning of this chapter, that there was no such king as 
I>arius the Median, I refer you to history, and to what 
I have just said about Cyaxares. And as to a similar 
objection about the number of provinces and satraps, the 
following remarks may suffice : The term satrap is said 
to be Median or Persian, and to mean simply a super- 
intendent of revenue. In process of time, the satraps 
took also the office of military governor of the provinces 
over which they were appointed as revenue officers. The 
extent and number of such provinces depended wholly 
upon the will and convenience of the sovereign. Suh- 
sai/i'aps may be included also under the same term. It 
may be true, then (Cyrop., viii., 6, 1, and viii, 5, 19,) that 



DANIEL A MODEL STATESMAN. 275 

Cyrus did appoint six satraps over his kingdom. It is 
true that his empire was larger than that of Darius. It 
may be true, also, according to Herodotus (iii., 89,) that, 
after Thrace and hither India were added to the empire 
by Darius Hystaspis, only ticenty satraps were appointed. 
And Xerxes appointed 127 ; why, then, could not Darius 
the Mede appoint 120 ? 

III. As soon as Darius became lord of the then civilized 
world, he began to feel the cares of office and the per- 
plexities of the power of patronage. An increase of care 
is the first consequence of an increase of power. The 
newly- conquered provinces, as well as the older parts of 
his vast dominions, were now to be provided with military 
governors and tax collectors. Over the one hundred and 
twenty rulers of the provinces he appointed three pre- 
sidents, of whom Daniel was chief. The preference for 
Daniel was well founded. He was a model statesman — 
a prime minister that should be imitated. He was, 1, well 
known for his probity and talents for government under 
the Babylonian empire. He was a tried man. 

2. He was preferred above the presidents, because an 
excellent spirit was in him, and the king thought to have 
set him over the whole realm. Kings and presidents are 
now often mistaken in the estimate which they form of 
men. But Darius was correct. Daniel was one of the 
most excellent of the earth. If in particular talents and 
services he was excelled by other Bible heroes, certainly, 
in the union and assemblage of gifts and graces, and in 
life-long devotion and uniform adherence to principles, he 
was surpassed by none. From his youth he honored God, 
by an intelligent, consistent, and exemplary piety ; and 



276 LECTTJEES OS" DANIEL, 

God SO honored hinij that even heathen kings did Mm 
reverence, while they contemned his religion. Great 
talents and high station with him were not inconsistent 
with inviolable purity and inflexible integrity. His badge 
of office was not the badge of ignominy. He did not owe 
his elevation to any fawning, cringing, flattering submis- 
sion ; nor was his high position owing to blind favoritism 
or party zeal. He had no patron but his God \ no cer- 
tificate but his character ; no recommendation but his ex- 
cellent spirit, and incomparable talent and experience. 

Honorable as Daniel's appointment was to himself, it 
was no less so to his royal master. To govern a country 
well, rulers must not only be great men, but good men — 
men of public spirit and courage, who will neither seek 
to please themselves nor the people by sinister purposes, 
but endeavor, in all honesty of heart, to promote the peo- 
ple's welfare and the glory of God. Happy was it for the 
Persian empire that such a man as Daniel was chief of 
its prefects. But no appointment to office ever was satis- 
factory to all. Somebody is dissatisfied. Excellent as 
Daniel's character was, his appointment to the first place 
in the kingdom gave great offense to the dignitaries of 
the realm. They were filled with envy to see a foreigner, 
a captive, a professor of the hated Jewish religion, exalted 
above the ancient and hereditary nobles of the land. 
Probably, also, Daniel's inflexible integrity in the admin- 
istration of affairs was another cause of their hatred. A 
man of such strict purity was in their way ; he was a 
running commentary of rebuke ; his character awed them, 
reproved them, restrained, and therefore irritated them. 
He would not join in their peculations, nor overlook their 



WHY HE WAS PERSECUTED, 277 

oppression. It was impossible for them to aggrandize 
themselves, with such a man to represent the interests of 
the nation always calling them to an account. As col- 
lectors of the ports and directors of the revenue deposits 
of those days, thej could not loan to one another, upon 
their own pledged stock, or otherwise, the moneys of tlie 
empire, while a man so sagacious, so penetrating, so 
scrutinizing, was at their head to check their rapacity. 
They could not deceive him by the pretext that it was 
for the accommodation of the public they were so liberal 
in helping themselves to the dividends of the royal exche- 
quer. They were, however, far-seeing politicians. They 
did not attack outright the justice or v^isdom of the king's 
appointment. They set about effecting Daniel's removal. 
'No doubt they were anxious to find some public act 
which they might challenge — some instance of partiality, 
of oppression, or injustice — some harsh expression — some 
instance of prejudice against the national religion, or of 
bigotry toward his own — some overlooking of the king's 
interest — something or other which, by being exaggerated 
or highly colored, might be so presented to the monarch 
as to produce Daniel's downfall, and possibly his death. 
And how easily they might have effected this, if there 
had only been found some plausible pretext, you will 
easily perceive, when you reflect that Daniel was prime 
minister in an empire where the will of the monarch was 
law absolute, unquestioned, irrevocable; where there 
was no constitutional liberty, no trial by jury, no regular 
impeachment and investigation ; but where upon a charge, 
or at the pleasure of the monarch, the head of any subject 
rolled trunkless at his feet in a moment. These courtiers, 



2Y8 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

howeyer, find no occasion against Daniel in any matter 
that pertained to his official duties, or to his lojaltj to 
the king. If keen-ejed malignity had brought some 
charge against Daniel, he would have fared as most pub- 
lic men do ; but so well was his character balanced, and 
so great were his wisdom and prudence, that he avoided 
even the appearance of evil. His enemies were obliged 
to confess that his public conduct was unimpeachable. 
Did they then cease their purpose of destroying him ? 
When did the enemies of a godly man ever cease to hunt 
for occasions to accuse him ? When they cannot find 
causes, they will invent them ; they will endeavor to turn 
his very virtues into crimes. There is no more hateful, 
no more unhappy disposition than one that gloats in dis- 
covering another's faults. It is a most godless and repro- 
bate state of mind. To be gratified in discovering the 
sins of our fellow-men, is to partake of the fiendish dis- 
position of the great enemy of all good. I had rather 
forget and forgive ten thousand times ten thousand errors 
in my neighbor than discover one of his faults. Our re- 
ligion is love ; our God is love. And though Christians 
are not saints, though they are imperfect, yet their prin- 
ciples compel them to be benevolent, forgiving, and 
kind. Drunkards, thieves, fornicators, and liars are 
nearer the kingdom of God than those persons who are 
full of enmity against their neighbor. He that hateth his 
brother is of the wicked one, the father of Cain. *' He 
that hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that 
no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." 

I apprehend that verses 4 and 5 do not mean that there 
was any thing in Daniel's conduct toward his God that 



HIS SPLENDID EULOGIUM. 2Y9 

justly laid liim liable to a charge on that ground, ^o, 
the meaning is the very opposite of this. He was not re- 
miss in the duties he owed to his God. They meant to 
say. Our only hope is to find something in his religious 
creed or practice that can be construed into an oflense 
against the king or the empire. There is no other way 
of getting up a charge against him that will have even 
the appearance of plausibility. And was there ever a 
more splendid eulogium than this upon Daniel's charac- 
ter ? I^othing can be charged against him but what is, 
in fact, his highest honor. 

ly . The conspirators, having arranged their arguments, 
approach the throne with the loudest professions of de- 
votion and disinterested loyalty. Kead verses 6, T, and 8. 

The tyranny of this law consisted in its penalty, and in 
its interdiction of all intercourse between God and his 
creatures. It was an impious attempt to banish God from 
the Persian empire for thirty days. It exalted the king 
into the place of the Creator. The decree claimed more 
for Darius than the Maker of the universe claims for him- 
self. God forbids us to pray to saints, or angels, or any 
other creature or God but himself, but does not, as Darius 
did, forbid our making requests of our fellow-men. It was 
a most unreasonable and cruel law. If the beggar in the 
streets of Babylon or Persepolis asked alms for thirty 
days, he was to be food for lions. If the child, in the 
overflowings of affectionate desires, should make a request 
to his father, he was to be thrown straightway into the 
lions' den. This decree was the carrying out of the ab- 
surd, tyrannical, superstitious, atheistical principle, that 
rulers may legislate for the consciences of their subjects. 



280 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

It is the pressure of this principle that makes Europe to- 
day groan under such intolerable burdens. Priests and sol- 
diers eat up the substance of the people. The priests keep 
the conscience, and, by the terrors of the world to come, 
wrest the hard earnings of the people from them for the 
support of courts and armies, and the government upholds 
the hierarchy for their service to the state. The estab- 
lishment of a religion by law, and the intolerance that 
forbids any other, is an assumption on the part of human 
lawgivers that they have the right to tell men what to 
believe, and to compel them to believe, and consequently 
have a right to debar them from all correspondence with 
God — to lay an embargo upon all intercourse with heaven. 

The dishonest and treacherous method by which these 
men obtained the passing of this cruel and unrighteous 
decree is characteristic of zealots and political partisans 
to this day. The device is still the king's honor, while 
in reality it is their own miserable selfish purposes they 
are seeking, and seeking by encompassing the ruin of 
Daniel. So it is the good of the country — the country, 
the people, the public welfare, that we hear of; while it 
is too often party or sectarian interests, or personal ag- 
grandizement, that lies at the bottom of all their zeal. 
Though the patriotism of many is like a chameleon, it 
cannot live on air ; it has a strong passion for loaves and 
fishes. 

Y. But what did Daniel do ? Yerses 10, 11. 

And his windows were open in his chamber — an apart- 
ment probably built on the top of the house, with a roof 
of its own, and designed for retirement. Such an upper 
room is frequently mentioned in the Bible. This upper 



OPEN WINDOWS.— "UPPER ROOM" 281 

room was the usual place for prayer : see Acts, i., 13, 9. 
In the Septuagint translation of Daniel, which you may 
remember was made from the original Hebrew and Chal- 
dee into Greek, about three hundred years before the 
birth of Christ, by Alexandrian Jews, at the command of 
Ptolemy Philadelphus, the word that is used for Daniel's 
chamber, is the very same that is used in the Acts to 
denote the place in which the Christians met at Pentecost. 
This room is called the "upper room," because it was 
built upon the flat roof of the house, and sequestered from 
the noise and interruption of the other rooms. It was 
into this room the pious Jew retired to read the law, and 
pray, and hold communion with God. It was in such a 
room the first Christians were wont to assemble for prayer, 
and for the observance of the Lord's Supper. It was to 
such a room Daniel was in the habit of withdrawing him- 
self from the cares of state to hold communion with the 
God of his fathers, and still the covenant-keeping God of 
his suffering countrymen. There is not to my mind any- 
thing strange, improbable, or proud and ostentatious, in 
the fact that Daniel prayed with his windows open, and 
toward Jerusalem. It was not for the mere purpose of 
display, or to defy the conspirators against his life, that 
he did so. It had always been his custom thus to worship 
God. He knew that the decree was made, and that it 
was unchangeable ; but in his hour of trial he had no 
thought of forsaking his God. It was the more proper 
for him now to seek his blessing and presence. Daniel 
had no difficulty or hesitancy in determining what he 
should do. His early education had fortunately been 
pious; he had studied well with his mother and father, 



282 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

# 

in his quiet Jerusalem home, the laws of Moses and the 
Catechism of his Church. His principles were, therefore, 
not only sound, but deeply-rooted ; and his conscience 
had been so faithfully trained and developed by his habits 
of duty, that it intuitively pronounced an instant and final 
sentence on the matter. "What if his fortune, his life, was 
at stake? How could he sin against God? 'No sooner, 
therefore, did he hear that ^' the writing was signed than 
he went into his house ; and his windows being open in 
his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees 
three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his 
God, as he did aforetime." 

Toward Jerusalem^ because that was the place where 
the special presence of God was supposed to be. Tlius 
David says in Psalm v., 7, " And in thy fear will I worship 
toward thy holy temple." And again, xvii., 2, " Hear the 
voice of my supplications, when I say unto thee, when I 
lift up my hands toward the holy oracle ;" or, as it is in 
the margin, " the oracle of thy sanctuary." And again, 
in Psalm xx., where we have the ground of tiiis practice, 
" Jehovah hear thee in the day of trouble. Send thee 
help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out of Zion." 
The sublime prayer of Solomon contains several repeti- 
tions of the idea that their prayers were to be directed to 
the temple in Jerusalem. 1 Kings, viii., 35, 38, M, 48, 
49 ; 2 Chron., vi., 34. 

"We learn from Ezekiel, viii., 16, that the worshipers of 
Ormuzd, the god of the Persians, looked to the rising sun, 
the symbol of Ormuzd, when engaged in worship. The 
ancient Christians used to pray with their faces toward 
the East. In like manner, the Mohammedans pray with 



"TOWARD JERUSALEM."— HIGH ALTARS. 283 

their faces toward Mecca. As Daniel was east of Jeru- 
salem, his face was turned toward the west. ISfor can we 
suppose for a moment that we have here, or any where 
else, anj authority prescribing it as the duty of Christians 
to look toward any of the cardinal points when they pray. 
It is not in this mountain, not at Babylon nor Persepolis, 
not in Rome, nor Jerusalem, that God requires us to wor- 
ship him ; but every where, in all places. God is a Sj)irit. 
and seeketh such to worship him as do it in spirit and in 
truth. The reason why pious Jews directed their face 
toward Jerusalem in prayer was, that there was the temple 
and its furniture which was to them the type of the Me- 
diator, by whom their worship was to be made acceptable 
to God. The spiritually-minded Jew fixes his eye on the 
temple service as a figure representing the mediation and 
intercession of the Messiah. It is no argument, but a 
vain plea of superstition, to tell us that because the Jews 
prayed in ancient times with their faces toward Jeru- 
salem, we ought to do so likewise. Of precisely the same 
nature is the idea that we should build our churches in 
the form of a cross, or with their chancels, which are 
ignorantly called by some "altars," and "high altars," 
looking toward the East. Our houses of worship should 
be tasteful, elegant^ commodious, and fitted for the wor- 
ship of God ; but to burden ourselves with forms and 
rules such as these, is to do just what Paul tells the 
Galatians not to do : " The letting go the liberty where- 
with Christ has made us free." This were to go back to 
Judaism ; this were to conform to heathen and Moham- 
medan forms. And what is infinitely more, this is to dis- 
place Christ, the only Mediator, and to " substitute an 



284: LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

exhausted tjpe, a shriveled symbol, in the room of Him 
who is its substance, its reality, and its end."' If the 
great law of Solomon to the Jews was, " Pray with your 
face toward Jerusalem," the great law of the Gospel is, 
*' Pray every where in the name of Jesus." The Jewish 
Church consisted of a temple built of stones, a grand 
altar, overshadowing cherubims, with bright beams of 
ineffable glory, and the ministration of the priests with 
sacrifices — all of which was a type of good things to come. 
The Christian Church is composed not of dead stones, but 
of living ones. The glory is not visible and palpable, but 
spiiitual ; the worship is spiritual; its completeness is the 
fullness of Christ, who is all in all, and over all, God, 
blessed for evermore. And hence there is a true Christian 
Church without priest or bishop, wherever there is faith 
in Christ and obedience to his commandments. On the 
ocean shore, on the deep-sounding sea, on the mountain 
top, in the deep secluded glen, in the mountain gorge, 
hidden from persecuting tyrants ; in the deep caves and 
catacombs of the earth ; in the field, in the wilderness, in 
the city; wherever there are two or three met in the 
name of Jesus, there is a temple more glorious than 
Solomon's ; there is the temple of the Holy Ghost, in 
which God dwells, and manifests his excellent glory. 

It is sometimes said, Daniel could have been just as 
pious, and have prayed to God in his heart, and God 
would have heard him just as well, if he had shut his 
windows and prayed in secret, and not have let his ene- 
mies know that he violated the king's decree. 

It is true that bodily exercise profiteth little, but the 
Bible does not say it profiteth nothing. On the contrary. 



POINT OF DANIEL'S TRIAL. 285 

we are commanded to glorify God in our bodies as well 
as in our spirits, which are His. The form of godliness is 
a part of religion, as well as the power. When God calls 
upon us to believe with the heart unto righteousness^ no 
outward action, such as fasting, or praying with a loud 
Yoice, or pilgrimages, or penances, or the giving of youi 
goods to feed the poor, of jour bodies to be buriled, will 
be accepted by God as a sulstitute for faith. So, on the 
other hand, when God calls you to make confession of 
Christ with the mouth unto salvation — -to acknowledge 
him before men — then no inward frame of spirit, neither 
faith, nor love, nor self-denial, will be accepted by him as 
a substitute for that open and visible adherence to His 
truth and identification with His people which He has 
been pleased to require as a test of your obedience to 
Him, and a means of salvation. In a time of trial, it is 
not mere inward feeling of devotion, but the outward 
manifestation of it, that God requires. It is not so much 
the image of God in the heart, as his "name upon the 
forehead," that proves that we are " the called, and chosen, 
and faithful." In the case of Daniel, the point on which 
the authority of God and of the king came into collision, 
was about the external acts of divine worship. Praying 
to God in the Spirit was not prohibited, but rendering 
him outward acts of homage was forbidden. This was 
the point on trial. God said, on the one hand, " In all 
thy ways acknowledge me, and I will direct thy steps." 
" In the day of trouble, call upon me, and I will answer." 
Darius said, "Thou shalt not ask a petition of God for 
thirty days." In this case, the inward state of the heart 
could be ascertained only by the outward act. It was 



286 LECTURES O:^ DANIEU 

not enough that the heart believed; the month must make 
confession also. If Daniel had shut his windows, if he 
had ceased to kneel, or ceased to speak nnto Grod with his 
lips, and rested content with the mere utterances of the 
heart, he would have denied his God before men ; but bv 
praying as he had done aforetime, he gave his testimony, 
and Go'd honored and delivered him. Daniel's high sta- 
tion at the head of the Persian empire, instead of excusing 
him from fidelity to his religion, enhanced the peculiar 
responsibility attached to him in this emergency. He 
was a city set upon a hill ; he was. the head of all the pro- 
fessors of the true religion then in the world, as well as 
chief of the presidents of the empire. He was the '^ ob- 
served of all observers." The eyes of friends and enemies 
were upon him. Any indecision, any appearance of hes- 
itance, any compromiting of his principles, or seeming 
compliance with the decree, would have been productive 
of the most painful results ; but happily he was the man 
for the crisis; .the cause in his hands was safe. Closing 
his eyes on danger, he thought only of his duty. The 
fear of lions could not make him disown his God. At the 
perilous post, his attitude clearly defined his position ; and 
as his faith was shown by his conduct, the .Bible records 
only his magnanimous outward act. The Bible does not 
tell us how he felt or what he said, but what he did. It 
refers not to the frame of his soul, but to the posture of 
his body and the utterances of his lips. It was by his 
outward actions that he was to show that he was willing 
to lay his body down as a living sacrifice on the divine 
altar. 

Firsts then^ this case teaches you that God sometimes 



SOMETIMES MUST SUFFER OR SIN. ^87 

allows his jpeojple to l)e placed in situations in which they 
are shut ujp ly His providence either to suffer or to sin. 
It was not any fault of Daniel's three friends that placed 
them in the dilemma of worshiping the great image on 
the plains of Dura, or of being cast into the fiery furnace. 
And so here it was for no fault of Daniel that he is shut 
up to the necessity of deciding whether he would obey 
God or man, whether he would disown God or be cast into 
the lions' den. Joseph had similar seasons of trial. Caleb 
and Joshua also. They had another spirit, and followed 
the Lord fully. Them the Lord brought into the promised 
land. Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of 
God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. 
And so there are now, in the lives of most men, seasons 
of peril, critical periods, when they must either sin or 
suffer ; when they must decide, and take their position on 
the Lord's side or against him. Such trials answer holy 
and wise purposes. They benefit God's true people, by 
burning away the dross of selfishness and worldly-mind- 
edness. But, 

Secondly. Learn from Daniel to possess your soul .in 
patience and prudence in the days of severe trial. 

Daniel adds nothing, by way of insult, to his persecu- 
tors, nor of defiance toward his sovereign, nor yet does he 
omit any thing from fear of danger. He worships God 
just as he had been accustomed to do. He goes to his 
own house, into his private chamber, and with his win- 
dows open, looking toward Jerusalem, he kneels down 
and prays to God, just as if no decree had been issued 
against prayer. "We see here no fool-hardiness ; we see 
no vain courting of martyrdom ! nor do we see any pre 



288 ^ LECTtJRES ON DANIEL. 

caution to escape the doom that awaited him. We see 
him praying three times a day, as he had done aforetime. 
The place, and manner, and substance of his prayers were 
now just as before. He had been accustomed to mingle 
thanksgiving with prayer, and though he is now exposed 
to the hungry lions, he still sees abundant cause of thank- 
fulness. He felt honored in being counted worthy to 
suffer for his God. He remembered how he had been 
hitherto sustained, and now that he was old and gray- 
headed, he thanked God that he would not leave him :3or 
forsake him. 

It is sometimes said Daniel did wrong in disobey- 
ing a law which had been passed by the highest legis- 
lative power in the country. First, I have no sympathy 
with the "higher law" faction of our times; but it is 
certainly clear that the foundation of all law is the will 
of God. Governments are ordained of God. The will 
of God is aback of and above all social compacts or civil 
enactments. Secondly, as all the authority which man 
possesses over man is derived from God, so that authority 
is limited by the Divine law, and therefore the laws of 
man only bind when they are not inconsistent with the 
law of God. The moment any decrees of man require 
what God has forbidden, or forbids what God has com- 
manded, they cease to be binding upon the conscience, 
and in such cases it is our solemn duty to protest against 
them, and to disobey them. Resistance and passive obe- 
dience inay be pressed to a point when they become sin- 
ful. The edict of Darius, thirdly, was tyrannical, and 
opposed to the plainest commands of God. It would have 
been, therefore, sinful in Daniel to obey it. 



DANIEL COULD NOT BE SEDUCED. 289 

Thirdly, Learn then, young men, I beseecli you, the 
duty of surrendering yourselves at OTice cordially and 
with a whole-hearted magnanimity to the service of God. 
Daniel kept back nothing. He did not waver or hesitate. 
But as soon as his hour of prayer comes, though he knows 
the "decree is signed, he goes to his chamber, there to 
offer his protest against this impious decree, and to give 
his testimony for the supremacy of his God. Daniel was 
not dragged to duty, nor to suffering. ]^o doubt there 
were those who were ready to say he was over- righteous, 
some that were ready to say, "Why do you peril your life, 
Daniel, for a mere form ? why will you make yourself a 
martyr for the little matters of keeping your windows 
open, kneeling down, and speaking your prayers aloud % 
Surely, you are not going to sacrifice your splendid 
emoluments and high station by refusing to obey the 
king for the short space of thirty days. Consider too, O. 
mighty man ! chief of the presidents, how valuable your 
life is to others. Consider how much you owe to your 
countrymen, whose cause is in your hands, and to the 
Church of the Living God. Surely, you will not put in 
peril all these great matters by such obstinacy. How 
many, or which, or whether any of these pleas were sug- 
gested to Daniel, I know not. There are always plausible 
apologies at hand for treachery to the immortal soul, and 
treason to God ; but no one can doubt how Daniel re- 
plied to such cowardly proposals, if indeed any one ven- 
tured to name them to him. Has reply, no doubt, was, 
" Talk not to me of prudence, nor of the value of my life ; . 
it belongs to Him who gave it to me. He can preserve > 

me, or He can raise up others better than I am. I cannot 

19 



290 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

refrain from avowing that I dare to do. J. would rather 
refrain from praying altogether, than jjvetend to neglect 
it while I was secretly engaged in it. I must be honest ; 
and, as to the time of thirty days, I do not know that I 
shall live thirty hours. Life, reputation, influence, is 
nothing without the blessing of God. I will pray, there- 
fore, just as I have been accustomed to do. He shall 
hear my voice morning, noon, and evening, as heretofore. 
The result I cheerfully leave in His hands*" And, my 
young friends, when you are called upon to take up your 
cross, deny yourselves and confess Christ before men, re- 
member Daniel. It is no honor to be brave on the drill 
ground, but it is an honor to act bravely in the day of 
battle. It is no faint, or feeble, or fickle effort that will 
secure your salvation. If you would be saved, you must 
press into the kingdom of God. He that putteth his hand 
to the plow, and looketh back, is not fit for the kingdom 
of heaven. It is not enough to be a Christian in heart, you 
must be one in life. It is not enough to read sermons at 
home ; which is not often done, after all. You must honor 
God's word, and house, and Sabbath, by witnessing with 
the solemn assemblies of his people your faith in His Son 
and your attachment to Him. You cannot be a secret 
Christian, and steal along to heaven without any body 
knowing it. If you would be saved, you must avouch the 
Lord as your God. Choose ye, then, this day, whom you 
will serve. And God give you grace to make such a 
choice as shall make you forever happy. Amen. 



DAlinEL PROFESSEDLY PIOU&. 291 



LECTUEE XIY. 

DANIEL CAST INTO THE LIONs' DEN. 

On Dan., yi., 13-1^, and 24 

Summary. — Interdict of Prayer not so cruel as to he improbable. — Collateral 
Bistory.—XenopTion. — De Sacy. — Gi'otefend. — Daniel not a Defaulter. — 
How the Decree was obtained. — JVero, HoAjnau^ Duke of Tuscany. — God 
worked Miracles. — Professor Stuart. — Cunning and Meanness of DanieVs 
Accusers. — Iheir Success.— The King's Character. — Difference between Baby- 
lon and Persia. — King's Heart with DoMiel. — Church Members rebuked. — 
E-oery Atom has its Place and Laws. — Your Diamond. — Was Darius 
Converted^ or luere his Words an unconscious Prophecy ? — Young Men must 
take a bold and open Stand for God. — Daniel was a Man pre-eminent for 
Prayer. — Praying Statesmen. — Congressional Prayer-meeting. 

I. In previous Lectures we have seen that Daniel was 
a public man — -a model statesman — a prime minister of 
extraordinary talent for government, and distinguished 
for diligence, honesty, and piety. Being a plain, unosten- 
tatious, tried man, to whom all persons in official stations 
under him had access, it was easy for his enemies, who 
were now conspiring against his life, to acquaint them- 
selves with his religious faith and pious habits. Daniel 
was not one of those who vainly think they can be relig- 
ious without letting any body know it. He professed 
what he felt. He acted out openly what he believed. 
He was a man of regular and known habits. He had at 
least three stated hours for prayer in his private chamber, 
with windows open toward Jerusalem ; but in thus con 



293 LECTURES ON DAOTEL. 

tinually serving his God he violated the king's decree, and 
exposed himself to death by ravenous beasts. 

Read here verses 13-17, and 21. 

n. But it is said, This decree of Darius, that no prayer 
or request for thirty days should be made of God or man, 
except of himself — a decree that could proceed only from 
a madman — is a thing incredible. To this I answer, 1. It 
may be said truly that the author of such a decree de- 
served a madhouse rather than a palace ; but even kings 
do not always receive their just deserts at once. 

2. It is not, however, so imjprobdble a thing as that its 
record should throw disbelief over the whole narrative. 
You know that when Themistocles fled from Athens to 
Persia, and wished to be presented to the king, the cour- 
tier Artabanus said to him, "It is our custom to honor 
the king, and worship the image of God, who preserves 
all things." And you know, also, that Xenophon blames 
the Persians because " they thought themselves worthy 
of enjoying the honors of the gods." They worship a 
mortal man, and call him a divinity, and had rather treat 
the gods with neglect than their fellow-men."^ The king 
was considered among the Persians as worthy of homage, 
being the symbol or personification of Ormusd. Alexan- 
der the Great, in imitation of the Persian kings, required 
divine honors to be paid him on his entrance into Baby- 
lon. The great scholar De Sacy says " that the Persian 
kings call themselves the celestial germ of the race of the 
gods." On the ruins of Persepolis recently brought to 
light, kings are evidently presented as objects of adora- 

* See the original references in Stuart, in loco. 



DECREE NOT IMPROBABLE.— EXAMPLES. 293 

tion."^ It can no longer be a matter of donbt that the 
Persians did require men to pay supreme homage to their 
king as the representative of their god Ormusd. There 
are, tlien, no special marks of improbabilitj in the narra- 
tive of the importunity of the king's courtiers and nobles. 
The king was a weak, vain, ambitious man. 

Daniel's enemies knew well the weak points of their 
sovereign. They knew that it would gratify his vanity to 
have such a decree made as they proposed. They knew, 
also, the character of Daniel. They knew that he was 
-distinguished for ardent piety and decision of character. 
They were satisfied nothing could be found against him 
save in the matter of his religion. He was not a defaulter 
to the government He could not be charged with neg- 
lecting the king's interests in any way. As Darius, 
moreover, was addicted to an excessive use of wine, it is 
not improbable that -tlie affair was transacted near the 
close of a banquet, and proposed and carried with many 
loud professions of reverence, loyalty, and honor toward 
the king. Is there, then, such a want of probability in 
the narrative as to throw discredit over the history of the 
whole matter ? Have drunken despots never committed 
as outrageous and absurd acts as this ? The king designed 
to gratify his own vanity. He did not think of the con- 
sequences- IS'or is history without parallels. ITero, Cah- 
gula, Herod the Great, Genghis Khan, the authors of the 
Saint Bartholomew massacre, Haynau, and even the 
amiable Duke of Tuscany, could perpetrate such things 

* G-rotefend says on one of these ruins is the inscription, Btirps mundi 



294: LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

without at all throTring their histories into fables. Nor 
is the charge of intolerance against the king's decree, in 
the last part of the chapter, worthy of extended remark. 
It is probable that such a king as Darins, under such cir- 
cumstances, would have acted just as our narrative says 
he did act. It was a Persian custom to inflict capital 
punishment on criminals by throwing them into a den of 
lions. The covering of the pit was not necessarily so 
tight, though sealed, as to exclude air. There may have 
been sufficient side avenues for light and air, without at 
all interfering with the closing up of the mouth. It was 
also usual in the East to destroy whole families for the 
offense of the head. In England, to this day, treason 
taints the blood and confiscates the property otherwise 
inalienable. In what, then, was the persecution or intol- 
erance of the king's decree so remarkable, as to throw 
such an air of suspicion over the history? The king, 
under the excitement of Daniel's miraculous deliverance^ 
as jSTebuchadnezzar had, under similar feelings, done be- 
fore, calls upon his subjects to do homage to the God of 
Daniel. He does not forbid them to continue their own 
worship, nor compel them to become Jews, nor even 
annex a penalty for disobedience to his mandate. 

And as to the argument against the narrative, because 
it implies and affirms, indeed, as the king's edict does, that 
God did worlc miracles^ it is only necessary now to say, 
that it rests entirely upon the assumption that miracles 
are impossible and absurd. This assumption, I am per- 
suaded, you are not willing to take. Such an assumption 
is certainly no legitimate argument. !Nor is it within 
my present scope to enter the field of miracles. It is 



IVtlUACLES NOT IMPOSSIBLE, BUT PROBABLE. 295 

certainly clear from the Scriptures that God has, for im- 
portant ends, and with special designs, such as appear in 
the history of Daniel, wrought signs and wonders. ISTor 
has it ever been shown that such miraculous interposi- 
tions are contrary to reason or inconsistent with the Divine 
economy. I am strongly inclined to adopt the language 
of the late lamented Professor Stuart on this subject, and 
say " that one must needs feel himself hard pressed who 
resorts to such objections. It is a confession- which im- 
ports that he who makes it, is conscious of weakness in his 
cause. Simple candor and consciousness of a good cause 
are not apt to lead men to employ argumentation so 
captious."— P. 173. 

III. TJie duplicity^ and cunning, and meanness of Dan- 
ieVs accusers are seen in their pretexts. Unable to find 
fault with Daniel's official conduct, they set about ensnar- 
ing him in the matter of his religion. They pretended to 
be actuated solely by their anxiety for the honor of the 
king in urging him to pass the decree against prayer to 
God, while in reality their sole design was to entrap 
Daniel ; and, having obtained the king's signature to the 
decree, they go to Daniel's house at the hour when they 
knew he w^as accustomed to perform his devotions. They 
may have professed to come on business, while their real 
design was to get proof against him to take away his life. 
The enemies of truth and righteousness are always char- 
acterized for duplicity and cunning. Satan, as the grand 
enemy of God and man, is said in the Bible to have a 
face like a lamb, and yet speaks as a dragon. The Greelcs 
hringing gifts are always to he feared. The outward 
aspect of the agents of evil is generally smooth, and harm- 



296 LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

less, and benignant, as if thev were a compound of gentle- 
ness and innocence, while, in reality, tlieir spirit is fierce, 
and their designs murderous to the soul. The malignant 
enemies of godliness usually mask their treacherous pur- 
poses underneath a smooth and often polished exterior. 
They seldom go straight to their purpose ; they look one 
way and moye another : they come down upon the Lord's 
hosts, not with the sword, and the shield, and the spear, 
but with the gin, and the snare, and the net. Like beasts 
of prey, they crouch, and conceal themselyes, until they 
can make an advantageous spring upon their unsuspecting 
foe. It is thus the sons of Belial in olden time, and now 
the Jesuit and the Puseyite, and the enemy of civil liberty 
and popular education in our times, endeavor to effect 
theu" designs. As the Bible says, " He lieth in wait 
secretly, as a lion in his den : he lieth in wait to catch the 
poor, when he draweth him into his net. He croucheth 
and humbleth himself, that the poor may fall by his strong 
ones." 

lY. The charge against Daniel is stated in verses 12 
and 13. They recited the decree without saying a word 
about Daniel. They obtained the king's assent that such 
was the decree, and that, according to the law of the 
Medes and Persians, it could not be altered. This was 
just what they desired. 

Doubtless they proceeded thus cautiously, because they 
knew that the king was attached to Daniel. It was not 
till they had gotten the king to commit himself to the 
correctness of the decree, and as to the unchangeableness 
of a Persian edict, that they ventured to inform him who 
it was that violated it. and, in defiance of it. continued to 



THEIR ACCUSATIONS FALSE AND CUNNING. 297 

prajj as aforetime,, three times a day to his God. This 
information they made known to the king in the most 
ensnaring and insidious terms. They tell him that 
Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Jvr 
dahj regardeth not thee^ hing^ twt the decree that thou 
hast signed^ hut malceth his petition three times a day. 
They pretend that Daniel's disobedience arose from want 
of respect to the king, and disaffection toward his govern- 
ment. Ey this statement they sought to rouse the king's 
personal feelings, and to awaken his political jealousy ; 
and, under all, to heighten the enormity of Daniel's dis- 
obedience, by reminding the king of his base ingratitude. 
He w^as a Jew, a captive, a professor of a hated foreign 
religion. He had been highly honored ; and yet this is 
his gratitude : " He regardeth not thee, O king, nor the 
decree that thou hast signed." The charge -was, however, 
palpably false. It was not from any want of respect to 
the king's person, nor any disposition to set at naught the 
king's law^s as such and in themselves considered, apart 
from his higher duty to God, nor was it for the want of 
gratitude. Daniel's whole conduct was the legitimate 
result of his pious education. He acted from a solemn 
sense of duty to his God, the Judge of all men, kings as 
well as others. He could not elevate any creature above 
his Creator ; he could not erect the palace of loyalty on 
the grave of the religion of Jehovah. The principles, 
also, involved in the charge of these men against Daniel 
were utterly false. They not only sapped the foundations 
of morality, but they were fraught with danger to the 
state. 

It was not correct to say that the man who dared not to 



298 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

disobey liis God was, on that account,, an enemy to the 
state. It is not true that conscientious men and pious 
men are traitors to the state ; and yet this is the stereo- 
typed charge against them. In distant and widely differ- 
ent countries and ages, the people of God have been 
assailed again and again with this false accusation. It is 
the custom of their enemies to asperse and blacken their 
characters, just as these men attempted to destroy Daniel. 
Their loyalty was but a pretense. Their regard for the 
majesty of the laws of Persia, and their respect for the • 
king, were entirely hypocritical. They cared nothing for 
either. Their object was to gratify their envy, and ad- 
vance their own selfish views. Our blessed Lord (Luke, 
xviii.) connects a want of fear for God with a want of regard 
to man ; and history shows that, so far from being antago- 
nistic, they are^essentially and organically related. Intel- 
ligent piety and the highest civil virtues have ever been 
consistent. The best statesmen, priests, and civilians, and 
the ablest and most successful military leaders, have been 
Christian men. The maxim advanced by the conspirators 
against Daniel was blasphemous and atheistical. Tlie de- 
cree which they induced the king to make exalted the king 
to the throne of the Deity. And Daniel's continuing to 
pray to his God, they said, was proof that he disregarded 
both the king and his government ; as if they had said, 
" The man who regards thee, O king, will not regard his 
God, if thou shalt forbid him to do so. Thou hast a right 
to forbid any of thy subjects to pray to the God of hea- 
ven. Thou canst absolve thy subjects from their allegi- 
ance to the Creator ; and as Daniel persists in praying to 
his God, therefore he is thy personal enemy, and should 



DARIUS AND NEBUCHADNEZZAR COMPARED. 299 

be put to death." False and groundless as the charge 
was, such was the weakness of the king, and such the 
customs of the Persians, that, notwithstanding the king's 
personal friendship for Daniel, the decree is executed, 
and he is cast into the lion's den. — V. 14. 

The king labored hard to save Daniel, even '' till the 
going down of the sun, to deliver him," but in vain. His 
conduct was very different from that of Nebuchadnezzar 
on a similar occasion. When the young Hebrews refused 
to fall down and worship the great golden image he had set 
up in the plains of Dura, he was ''full of rage and fury," 
and commanded them to be cast at once into the furnace. 
Proud, imperious, self-willed, and passionate, he could 
not bear disobedience for a moment. However cruel and 
unreasonable his commands were, he would have them 
obeyed without a word or a moment's delay. E"ot so with 
Darius. He was a different sort of a man. Yain, rather 
than proud, he wished to be loved rather than to be fear- 
ed. Easily flattered, and of a compliant disposition, with 
some generousness of heart, he was misled by his nobles. 
But now that the truth has flashed upon his mind, and he 
sees their artifice, "he was sore displeased with himself, 
and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him." He was not 
enraged with Daniel for having dared to disobey his edict. 
His displeasure took the right direction. It went inward 
npon his own heart. He sees at once the folly of which 
he has made himself guilty. As yet he says nothing of 
the deceitful, base, and insulting conduct of his nobles. 
He stops not to tell them how he regarded their attempt 
to make him the blind and degraded tool of their own 
malignity. He does not say as Adam did, " The woman 



300 LECTURES ON DANIEL 

which thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, 
and I did eat." He did not saj as Eve did, " The serpent 
beguiled me, and I did eat." Darius reads no homily on 
the frauds of his courtiers. He urges no plea to justify 
himself, but sets about effecting Daniel's deliverance. 
He is sore displeased with himself, and desires to arrest the 
evil as far as he can. He exerts his ingenuity to discover, 
if possible, some method of evading the law. He tries to 
persuade the Persian nobles not to insist upon the execu- 
tion of the edict. He calls upon them in private. They 
seem to relent. He assembles the Divan. It is a re- 
markable contest between the king and his parliament, 
between the president and his cabinet; but, encouraging 
one another, they become bolder and more cruel when 
assembled than when seen separately by the king in their 
own houses. The princes sternly refuse to let Daniel 
escape. All their boasted loyalty has suddenly vanished. 
They will not grant a single petition to him whom they 
had made the only god in Persia for thirty days. What 
a struggle must this have been ! How unfortunate the 
position of the monarch ! encompassed by an assembly of 
designing, unprincipled villains, and bound hand and foot 
by his own rash decree. This should teach us to turn our 
eyes inward — to guard well our own hearts ; for out of 
them are the issues of evil. We should ponder well all our 
footsteps. One rash act may do what we shall never be 
able to retrieve. 

Y. Read here verse 15. 

Such an assembly around the throne of ITebuchadnezzar 
or of IS^apoleon, or before Cromwell or Andrew Jackson, 
would have met with a very different reception. But the 



EXAMPLES.— REX LEX. 301 

case before us is one of those remarkable and undesigned 
coincidences that prove the truthfuhiess of the history. 
It illustrates the character of Darius, and the peculiarity 
of Persian law. The incidents of this sixth chapter could 
not have been true of Nebuchadnezzar and of the Chal- 
dean empire ; but history informs us they might be, and 
actually were, true of Darius and of the Persian empire. 
The Chaldean emperor would have ordered these cour- 
tiers to instant execution. His power was supreme and 
arbitrary. In Babylon it was Rex Lex—Ah^ king was 
law, just as it is now in France with her autocrat In 
Persia it was different. They had a constitution. There 
it was Lex Rex—Ah.^ law was king. A law once enacted 
by the proper authority was not only supreme, but un- 
changeable. This was both ridiculous and impious in the 
case of Daniel. It was wrong ever to have made such a 
fundamental law, and now that it had been made, and 
was found to be against reason, morality, and religion, it 
should have been instantly repealed. As all human power 
springs from God, so the obligation to obey ceases when 
the obedience required comes into collision with our duty 
to God. In preserving his conscience, and disobeying the 
edict, Daniel was right ; his conduct was noble, heroic, 
and sublime. And so when Darius found the folly and 
egregious iniquity of his decree, and saw the artiJBce of 
his nobles, he ought to have put his own life and the ex- 
istence of his empire into peril, rather than to ha 
executed it. If nothing else would do, he ought to have 
gone to the lion's den himself, rather than have signed 
the warrant for casting Daniel into it. The claims of 
expediency, however, prevail, as they did in the case of 



802 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

Herod against John the Baptist, and with Pilate against 
Jesus Christ ; and impelled, like Jephtha, hj a rash de- 
cree, the Mng commanded^ and they Irought Daniel, and 
cast him into the den of lions. 

"What a sight is this ! Cruel policy prevails over friend- 
ship and over the most eminent worth. A venerable 
servant of God is given to the wild beasts. Daniel, the 
aged prime minister of the Persian empire, and the head 
of all the professors of the true religion then in the world, 
is cast into the lions' den ; but for what ? Simply for 
continuing to pray to God, as he had been accustomed to 
do all his life. " jN^ow the king spake and said unto Dan- 
iel, Thy God, whom thou servest continually. He will 
deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon 
the mouth of the den ; and the king sealed it with his own 
signet, and with the signet of his lords, that the purpose 
might not be changed concerning Daniel." 

These words of the king to Daniel are remarkable on 
several accounts. The king seems to say, '' My heart, as 
a man, goes with thee, O thou incomparable man of God, 
in opposition to my act as a king. I have done all I could 
to deliver thee, but I have failed. I commit thee in hope 
to Him whom thou servest continually. Thy God will 
deliver thee." "Was this the king's hope? was it his 
fervent prayer? or had the king been made acquainted 
with the history of Daniel and his three friends in Baby- 
lon, and with the history of the Jewish nation, so far as 
to believe in the reality of Divine interposition by angels 
and miracles for the deliverance of the worshipers of 
Jehovah ? Had Darius ever heard of the Jewish Scrip- 
ture, which says, '^ Fear not, for I am with thee ; be not 



THE SENTENCE.-PERSUASIVE ELOQUENCE. g03 

dismayed, for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee ; yea, 
I will help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee with the right 
hand of my righteousness. I will give mine angels charge 
concerning thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Thon shalt 
tread upon the lion and adder ; the young lion and dragon 
shalt thou trample under foot." 

Or are we to understand these memorable words of 
King Darius to Daniel as a true prophecy ? W^s he led 
unconsciously to utter them by a divine impulse for the 
encouragement of Daniel ? Some understand these words, 
together with the decree in the last of the chapter, as 
evidence of Darius' true conversion — so Dr. Gumming. 
If so, then the king, by means of Daniel's instruction and 
example, was brought to the knowledge of the true God. 
And why should this be thought a thing incredible? 
Were not the integrity, the meekness, the magnanimity, 
the gentleness, the patience, the submission of Daniel 
such an exponent of his religion as to make the king ask 
after its doctrines ? and were there no lessons in Daniel's 
prayers that spoke to the king's inner man ? Is not the 
grace of God quite sufficient for the conversion of kings 
and statesmen ? and should we not pray fervently for the 
conversion and eminent piety of all our leadilg men? 
They need the grace of God for themselves and for our 
sakes. We have here, moreover, a striking illustration 
of the variety of means which it pleases God to use in 
producing the conversion of men. It is not only the truth 
as believed, but the lives that Christians lead, and the 
deaths that Christians die, that produce conviction in the 
minds of men in behalf of Christianity. The sick-beds 
of some of the humblest followers of Christ have exceeded 



304 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

the most learned pulpits in persuasive eloquence, and 
djing martyrs have made conversions that living apostles 
were never honored with. "When soliciting, the other 
daj, a friend, who is not a member of the Church, for his 
influence and contribution to advance the cause of the 
Saviour in the city, he said, " Go to the members of the 
Church 5 many of them are more wealthy than I am. 
They hare not given any thing. Get them all to do what 
they can, and then I, as an outsider^ will help you." 
These are his exact words. He is a liberal, high-minded 
man. His excuse was not a good one ; but I shall never 
forget it. It was humiliating and mortifying to be com- 
pelled to feel that such accusations are just against our 
professed followers of "Christ. I name the case now sim- 
ply to illustrate the fact that it is impossible for any man, 
much less a Christian, to live to himself; nor can a Chris- 
tian die to himself. Every atom and every planet has its 
place and orbit — a place and orbit that no other atom or 
planet can fill. The Creator has given to every particle 
of matter, and every globe and system in the vast uni- 
verse, its own proper place, and impressed upon it certain 
laws ; and so every human being has his or her place,, 
and his#or her duties assigned by the Creator, from the 
performance of which there can be no exemption. In- 
dividual ACCOUNTABILITY to God is as inseparable from 
every one of you as your identity and immortality. "What 
if God, my young friend, should place in your hand 
a diamond, and tell you to inscribe on it a sentence 
which should be read on the last day, and shown there 
as an index of your own thoughts and feelings ? What 
caution and anxiety would you feel about the selectioB 



THE DIAMOND.— GOD'S AGENTS. 305 

of that sentence! Now God has given 3^011 something 
more imperishable and precious than a diamond. He 
has placed before you immortal minds, on which, by 
your example, your principles, and influence, you in- 
scribe every day and every hour something which will 
remain and be exhibited, for or against you, at the judg- 
ment-day. He has commissioned all the elements of na- 
ture to take your daguerreotype likeness — the likeness 
of your inmost soul through life, and the true nature and 
extent of all your influence upon your fellow-men — and 
these pictures will all be exhibited for your acquittal or 
condemnation at the trial of the last day. 

Happy as I should be to dwell on the conversion of 
King Darius, I cannot insist upon it, for the text does not 
fully establish it. The lessons I have just pointed out 
are, however, true. His words may be understood as 
expressive of his regret and pity, and as a sort of apology 
for his severity toward such an aged and eminent servant, 
whom he really loved. It is possible, also, that God 
made the king utter an unconscious prophecy of Daniel's 
deliverance. Balaam and Saul were prophets, though not 
saints. God has made men that were not pious predict 
truths of which they themselves knew not tho' glory. 
Oaiaphas, being high-priest, gave counsel to the Jews, 
saying, " It was expedient that some one should die for 
the people." In this Oaiaphas was the trumpet of a glo- 
rious prophecy. God made the Chaldean empire his Tiam- 
7ner^ and Cyrus his hatile-axe^ to execute his judgments 
upon the earth, and especially against the enemies of his 
people. So the Bible expressly says. God makes the 

wrath of man to praise him, and the remainder thereof 

20 



306 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

He restraineth, that Ms people may learn to trust in Him 
always, and that all men may see that all things are under 
the power and control of Him who holds the reins, and 
sways the sceptre of the universe. 

"With two lessons briefly stated, I close this lecture. 

First. Young men are taught here to expect that GodjS 
providence will sometimes place them in such circum- 
stances^ that an open^ hold, avovjed performance of reli- 
gious duty and adherence to principle vnll he the test of 
their fidelity to Him. It is not profession, nor equivoca- 
tion, that will do ; but a steadfast adherence to principle, 
and an open, straightforward performance of duty. The 
king's edict was against prayer. It was prayer aloud that 
exposed Daniel to the lions' den. The performance of 
prayer in his usual way was, therefore, the test of his 
fidelity to God. It is useless for us to imagin?e how Daniel 
could have employed the thirty days. There were doubt- 
less many things which in themselves and at other times 
would have been proper, but which, as sulstitutes for 
prayer were not available. He might have shut himself 
up to study the books of Moses, or to read Jeremiah, and 
see when the captivity was to come to an end. He might 
have spent his time weeping and singing by the willows 
heside the rivers of Babylon. He might have set about 
some great scheme to induce his monarch to release his 
countrymen, and have offered this as an excuse to his 
conscience for neglecting his prayers ; but all or any of 
these things would have been unacceptable to God. He 
remained faithful, and prayed as he had done aforetime. 
It is certainly no availing plea with our Maker that the 
performance of our duty exposes us to danger. Ko degree 



BUTT AND PRAYER OURS AND REST GOD'S. 307 

of danger can justify iis in concealing our attachment to 
God ; it is not for us to choose the circumstances in which 
we shall be called to the performance of duty. It is not 
for us to ask questions, but to obey. Duty is oues, con 

SEQUENCES ARE God's. • 

Finally^ this page of the inner Kfe of the prime 
minister of King Darius contains a most earnest recom- 
mendation of prayer. You see what Daniel's habits 
were. He was evidently known to be a praying man. 
He did not begin to pray now that he was in danger. It 
was no family bereavement, it was not severe sickness or 
the fear of death that made him retire into his chamber 
for prayer. He prayed and gave thanks before his God, 
as he did aforetime. He was the chief of the prefects or 
presidents, the first man next to the king in the empire ; 
yet he was a man of prayer. Rank and station, ofiicial 
duties, power and influence, do not, therefore, furnish 
sufficient reasons for neglecting secret and family prayer. 
It is impossible to be a genuine Christian and live a 
prayerless life. There is no reality in our profession of 
religion if we have not communion with God. 

Daniel had set times for prayer ^ and if we would de- 
rive the full advantage which may be obtained from 
prayer, we must have stated times for engaging in it. 
Without set times of prayer, there is imminent danger oi 
its being omitted or crowded out. Mere forms in religion 
are to be avoided ; but regularity ought to be cultivated. 
Without order in our affairs, we shall always be liable to 
interruptions and confusion. Regularity will in due time 
ripen into a habit ; and that which at first seemed a griev- 
ous burden, by practice will become light. If Daniel, 



308 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

with all the affairs of an empire to manage, found time, 
three stated times a daj, for calling on the name of God, 
surely none of jou can plead the want of time for this 
purpose. " Prayer and provender hinder not the journey." 
" To have prayed well, is to study well." " In all thy ways 
acknowledge thou Him, and He will direct thy steps." 
Daniel's inner life was fed by prayer, and hence his outer 
life was characterized by integrity, justice, heroism, mag- 
nanimity, and faithfulness. His home habits made his 
court habits so beautiful, and just, and true. His private 
intercourse with God made his public character so con- 
sistent. An hour in the " upper chamber" in communion 
with God is worth many hours in the cabinet. I have 
said before that I beUeve God has not given to any nation 
for so long a time rulers so able, pure, and patriotic as 
we have had ; and I am not aware that any thing like our 
Congressional prayer-meeting has ever been known in 
the courts of Europe. Our leading men, thank God, 
have been and are religious men, men of religious edu- 
cation, and many of them of religious habits and avowed 
faith in Jesus Christ. Tliis we hope will always be the 
case. It is impossible for statesmen to govern the world 
without God. We cannot expect his blessing on poli- 
ticians that are godless in their principles and prayerless 
in their lives. It should be written on our council cham- 
bers, our halls of commerce, and the doors of our capitols, 
By me kings keign aitd peixces decree justice. Right- 
eousness EXALTETH A NATION, BUT SIN IS A KEPKOACH TO ANT 
PEOPLE. 



HIS ENEMIES SEEMINa TO TRIUMPH. 309 



LECTUKE XT. 

FAITH TRIUMPHANT. 

On Dan., vi., 16-24. 

State of Parties. — King's Conscience. — Listen to yours. — King's Visit to the 
Den. — DanieVs Night loith the Lions. — Servant of God, highest Appellation. 
— God the Vindicator of His People. — The King^s Cruelty not a thing impro- 
'bable. — JosepJms' Account of the Destruction of DamAeVs Eaemies. — GcdSs 
Power over Lions. — God is not to he dethroned from Nature and, Providence. 
— Lieutenant Maury and the Sovereign of the Seas. — What are the Laws of 
Nature f — Guvier. — DanieVs Flesh as sweet to the Lions' Taste as that of his 
Miemies. — God has the Reins of aU Animals stiU. — The Pious every where 
under God's Care. — Miser and Slave. — You are NOW in God's Presence. — 
Neivton only folloioed where his Creator had teen hefore him. — Science does 
not overreach the Creator. — Faith- triumphs over Death. 

In the last lecture we saw Daniel, the servant of God 
and prime minister of Persia, cast into the lions' den be- 
canse he would obey his God rather than his king. We 
come now to see how faith stopped the mouths of lions, 
and wrought his deliverance. It would seem from the 
narrative that Daniel was dropped as unfeelingly into the 
lions' den as a pebble is cast into the silent sea, to be for- 
gotten forever. The moon and stars held on their joyous 
way over the Eastern World. Our little globe kept on 
its course, as if nothing had happened ; the wicked seem- 
ed to have succeeded to their liearts' content ; the ao^ed 
servant of God was cast into the den of lions. 'Now, 
thought his enemies, he will trouble us no more. They 
supposed, when that heavy stone was placed over the 



310 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

mouth of the den, and sealed with the signet of the ting 
and of his lords, that all was safe. They thought that, as 
no crj from the suffering man could be heard to excite 
sympathy — as the sufferings of the martyred prophet, 
while he was being devoured by the hungry lionfe, were 
hidden from the people, so there would be nothing to 
arouse popular indignation, and nothing more would ever 
be heard of him. But God's thoughts are not as man's 
thoughts, nor His ways as man's ways. Let us look a 
moment at the condition of the three parties. How did 
they respectively pass this memorable night ? The con- 
spirators returned to their homes ; they drank deeply, 
they sang merrily ; they congratulated each other that the 
old Jewish favorite was now out of the way — that he who 
feared God, and, rather than compromise his allegiance 
to his God, was willing to live poor, and to die a martyr, 
would testify no more against their rapacity. 

And the poor king — he went home also. Then the 
hing went to Jiis jpalace^ and passed the night fasting * 
neither were insi/ruments of music hrought hefore hirrh* 
and his sleep went from, him. How sad was that night 
for royalty ! Filled with remorse for having signed the 
fatal decree, and not knowing how to retrace his steps 
or to retrieve the effects of his rash act, the king passed 
the night in agony. Ah! it is true that most crowns 
have thorns. It is true that palaces are magnificent piles 
— an Oriental court was peculiarly luxurious ; but what 
are most palaces but splendid misery ? What was the 
crown of France, the crown of Louis le Grand, of Francis 
the First, and of Clovis, a few years since ? What is the 
throne of IsTaples, and the head of the house of Hapsburg, 



WHY SLEEPS NOT MY LORD, THE KING. 311 

• 

l)ut a mark for the assassin ? The one wounded, and the 
other maimed, within a few weeks, by subjects who 
sought to encompass their deaths. The sleepless king of 
Persia is a demonstration that conscience can shake the 
stoutest hearts. It is not nerve, but a conscience full of 
peace, that makes the bravest men. There can be no 
peace, no presence of mind, no true heroism, where the 
conscience is lashed with the scorpions of guilt. Armed 
battalions and thick palace walls cannot keep the sting 
of a guilty conscience from the chambers of the mighty. 
All the opiates of the physicians to his majesty — all the 
drugs of " Araby the Blest" and from the " distant Ind," 
cannot woo sweet sleep to the imperial pillow. 'No 
sounds of music are heard, all books are closed, all tes- 
timonies are silenced, not a voice is lifted up : Why sleeps 
not my lord^ the Mngf It is on account of the presence of 
a visitor he cannot shut out from his bed-chamber. His 
own conscience, grieved, wronged, offended — God's vice- 
gerent reasoning with him, rolling over and over with 
him, and agitating his royal bosom, and making him 
tremble; this is the disturber of his slumbers. The 
laborious poor through his vast dominions slept sweetly. 
With them the night passed as a swift hour. Refreshed 
with " I^ature's sweet restorer, balmy sleep," they are 
prepared for another day's toil. But not so with the con- 
science-tormented master of the world. He seems to have 
given full scope to his inward monitor. His sleep went 
from him. He communed with his heart in the night 
season. He did not strive by pleasure, by compan}^, or 
by dissipation, to lull his conscience asleep. And in this 
matter the king set you a good example. When con- 



312 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

« 

science speaks, attend to her lessons ; she is thy friend. 
Give ear to her faintest whispers ; be not afraid to listen 
to her loudest accusations ; thej may be necessary to your 
soul's welfare. There are times in every man's history 
when conscience is quickened, and is faithful and tender. 
Whether this awakening of conscience is owing to some 
severe personal illness, or to some bereavement, or to the 
reading of some book, or to the preaching of the Word, 
such times are eras of immense importance in the history 
of immortal beings. Such a turning period in your life 
may be just now passing over you. Every moment 
is precious. While conscience pleads, and God calls, it is 
for you to obey. Habits of sin may be so indulged as 
to debilitate and exhaust the power of conscience. The 
impenitent sinner may be left for years without hearing 
her accusing voice. God can, however, at any moment 
quicken it by one single beam of light, and so kindle 
and inflame it, that the most hardened sinner will be. 
troubled, as Belshazzar was at the writing on the wall. 
There is no torment like an accusing conscience. Wher- 
ever a guilty sinner goes, he carries his accuser in his 
own bosom. There is but one way for a guilty conscience 
to find peace ; and that is, to have it sprinkled by the 
atoning blood of Jesus Christ, and purified by the sanc- 
tifying influences of the Holy Spirit. 

But there is a third party in the transactions of this 
night we have not yet visited. The courtiers are more 
gleesome than usual. The king is more sad. The night 
is awfully tedious to him. How often did he look for the 
streaks of the morning light ! It seemed to him as if the 
dav would never come. But how was it with the servant 



DANIEL WITH THE LIONS. 313 

of God ? What tidings from the lions' den ? Let us go 
with the king and see what has become of Daniel. Then 
the Icing arose very early in the onorning^ a/nd went in 
haste unto ths den of lions. Does he find it the grave of 
the murdered prophet of Jehovah ? The king, doubtless, 
feared to speak ; he was afraid there would be no other 
answer from the gloomy depths of the pit than the echo 
of his own voice, and the growling roar of his royal execu- 
tioners. But he must speak : so, lohen he came to the den^ 
he cried with a lameniahle voice imto Daniel^ and said^ 
Daniel^ servant of the living God^ is thy God, whom 
thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions ? 
The king was probably not altogether without hope. He 
had no doubt heard of the marvelous interpositions made 
ia behalf of Jehovah's servants in times past. The records 
of the empire were then in his possession, and from these 
he may have learned how Daniel's God had preserved his 
friends amid the flames of the seven-fold heated furnace ; 
and, knowing the purity of Daniel's character, he may 
have concluded that God would deliver him. But while 
he, thus half hoping, half despairing, is afraid to learn the 
result of his own inquiry — is afraid to look into the pit, 
let us look in. There is the old Hebrew prophet and 
grand vizier of Persia ; he is on his knees, with hands 
uplifted and face toward heaven, beaming with calm 
benignity. On either side of him,* and before and behind 
him, and all around him and almost touching him, stand, 
or lie, or crouch, the lions of the desert. Daniel's coun- 
tenance is calm, self-possessed, buoyant with hope. We 
see no blood, no scratch from the teeth or claws of the 
fierce kings of the forest ; we see no crushed bones, no 



314 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

signs of violence, no marks of uneasiness. This night 
among the lions has been the happiest night of his whole 
life. Free from all cares of state, and from every other 
anxiety, he had nothing to do but to let his heart com- 
mune with his God. But Daniel is ready to speak ; and 
his voice that morning was sweeter to the king's ears than 
the music of his court had ever been. He had spent the 
night sick at heart, but now he is filled with gladness. 
Then loas the hing exceeding glad for him. Then said 
Daniel unto the hing^ hing^ live forever.'^ My God 
hath sent his angel^ and hath shut the lions'' mouths^ that 
they have not hurt me / forasmuch as hefore him inno- 
cency was found in me y o.nd also hefore thee^ Icing^ 
ha/ve I done no hurt. 

As Daniel's first words were to the king, so his second 
utterances are for the glory of his God. He explains at 
once the means of his deliverance. 

I. The king's denomination of Daniel is worthy of re- 
mark. He does not address him as first of the presidents ; 
but says, " Daniel^ servant of the living God^ This 
was an honor above any official station — angels and 
archangels can occupy no higher position. It was better 
for Daniel to have been a servant of the living God than 
to have been the first president of Persia. His official 
rank in the empire could not prevent him from being cast 
among the lions ; but his being the servant of the living 
God protected him from their fury. His piety was not a 



* The salutation of Daniel, " king, live forever !" does not mean that he 
wished him literally to live forever. It was equivalent to the English " God 
save the Queen." It was the common court salutation, and meant nothing 
snore than a wish of long life and prosperity. 



UNIFORMITY OF HIS PIETY. 31 5 

sickly, fitful, feverish, fashionable thing ; his devotion was 
deeply rooted ; he served God continually^ not occasion- 
ally ; his mind was thoroughly pervaded and imbued 
with sound religious sentiments and feelings. The king 
had not failed to observe his punctuality in his religions 
duties, the uniformity, spirituality, and heavenliness of his 
mind in all his conduct. His religion was so natural to 
him that he could not hide it ; every thing he did proved 
him to be a man that feared and loved God. O, what a 
living power there would be in religion if it were acted 
out in our social walks and public conduct, and not shut 
up to mould all week within the walls of our churches ' 
Why should your labor and talents, influence and time, be 
principally devoted to the world which is passing away ? 
The surest way to peace, and honor, and usefulness, is in 
the service of God. It is not by professing to be religious, 
but by consistency of conduct, that you will vindicate reli- 
gion in the eyes of worldly men, and lodge a testimony to 
its reality in their consciences. And as you would not be 
a partaker in other men's sins, so you must be careful to 
exert a good influence, both by your example and by the 
sentiments you hold, upon all around you. 

II. The reason for God's interference in Daniel's behalf 
was not that his conduct really merited such an interposi 
tion. The meaning is, that God, being a witness of his 
innocence, indicated it by this interposition. As Daniel 
was not guilty of disobedience to his God, so neither was 
he guilty of any treasonable designs. He harbored no 
disloyalty in his bosom. His conduct was not the result 
of any pique, or from any factious or discontented spirit, 
but purely from a conscientious regard to the divine an 



316 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

thoritj and'glory ; and God, by this interference, showed 
that He had taken notice of Daniel's conduct and was 
pleased with it, and thus declared that it was worthy of 
imitation in all similar cases. 

You may learn, therefore, from this case, that God is 
the vindicator of his people. This truth is strikingly 
exemplified in the history of the pious who in past ages 
have stood in the front rank of the Kedeemer's host. He 
has never forsaken his people. " Trust in the Lord, and 
do good, and verily thou shalt be fed. Commit thy way 
unto the Lord ; trust also in him, and he shall bring forth 
the righteousness as thy light, and thy judgment as the 
noonday." 

III. The jpersonal property in God^ referred to both in 
the king's words and in Daniel's reply, is remarkable. 
The king said to Daniel, " Is thy God, whom thou servest 
continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?" And 
Daniel replies, '■'• My God hath sent his angel and shut 
the lion's mouths, that they have not hurt me." Mark 
the difference. Darius had heard of God by the hearing 
of the ear, Daniel was acquainted with him as a friend 
and a father. Daniel had chosen him as his portion, and 
devoted himself to his service. To believe there is a 
God is cheering compared with blank, heartless atheism. 
Surely it is good news that the universe is not an orphan. 
Surely all well-disposed minds will rejoice in the tidings 
that the w^orld is governed by its Creator. How much 
more comfortable to be able to feel that He who is the 
ineffable Creator is our Father ! 

lY. Kead here verses 23, 24. 

I have already, in the preceding Lecture, shown, 1st. 



CUTTELTIES.— MAMELUKES. gl7 

That sucli a rash and passionate, sinful, improper, and un- 
worthy act as this, was not so improbable a thing in the 
life of an Eastern monarch, or even of a Western tyrant, 
as to render the history of it incredible. He who could 
order the Saint Bartholomew Massacre, or the mtirder of 
the Mamelukes in Cairo, or murder the children of Beth- 
lehem, or set Rome on fire for mere pastime, and then put 
Christians to death on the pretense that they had done 
what he knew he had himself done, would have been 
capable of doing all, and even more than it ascribed to 
Darius. It has been shown that it was a Persian custom 
to execute convicts by casting them into a den of lions, 
and it has also been shown that the families of those who 
fell under royal displeasure, were often destroyed with 
them. Such a custom is spoken of in the Bible as well as 
in profane history. The narrative, then, that mentions 
such things is not on that account to be thrown, at the 
mere caprice of ,a cloudy-headed critic, into fable-land. 
But, 2dly. The Bible does not say that the decree of 
Darius against prayer was right ; nor does the Bible justify 
the cruelty of the king against Daniel's persecutors. Our 
history simply states the facts. These men were gnilty 
of many crimes. Whether their punishment exceeded 
their guilt is not decided by the text. The Bible is res- 
ponsible only for the record of the facts. 

The great Jewish historian, in recording this fact, says, 
that when Daniel was delivered, the princes said it was 
because the lions had been previously surfeited with food, 
and on that account it was that they refused to touch 
Daniel. This so enraged the king that he ordered a great 
quantity of flesh to be given to the lions, and then com 



318 LECTURES OlN DAXIEL. 

manded that these princes, Daniel's enemies, should he 
cast into the den, and they were all destroyed. Whether 
this account of Josephns he true in all its details or not, I 
am not able to say. The main points are true. And the 
history of Daniel's deliverance illustrates God''s poioer over 
the heasts of the fAd. ^"0 doubt these Persian princes 
were anxious to explain away the miraculous interposition 
of Daniel's God. Like many jpretended friends of the 
Bible in our day, they were so careful of the divine power, 
that they could not think of any useless expenditure of 
Omnipotence. There are those that talk of laws and na- 
ture, and yet find God nowhere. If a pestilence comes, it 
is not the hand of God that sent it, but the want of ozone, 
or it is some volcanic action that occasioned it. If the 
epidemic is removed, it was a change of the atmosphere, 
or of the wind, that removed it. K the soil yields bene- 
ficently, and rewards the toil of the husbandman, it is not 
the Creator, but the frosts and snows of last winter, that 
have occasioned the fruitfulness of the earth. If our 
astronomer, in his studio at "Washington, predicts, from 
the observance of certain sailing directions, which he him- 
self lays down, and gives to the captain of one of our 
vessels, the passage of that vessel from Xew York to San. 
Francisco, a voyage of more than seventeen thousand 
miles, it is nothing but science and natural causes. God, 
whose works and laws are the substance of all science, is 
forgotten. This last illustration is a fact, and is one of 
the most remarkable instances of the triumphs of science 
that has ever been recorded. Lieutenant Maury, in his 
instructions and predictions of the voyage of the vessel 
"The Sovereign of the Seas," occupying one hundred and 



LIEUT. MAURY.— KEPLER AND LAPLACE. 319 

three days from 'Nqw York to San Francisco, it is said, 
did not err two hours in liis calculation of the time the 
voyage would take. And yet, strange as it is, many, 
practically if not professedly, make the thermometer, the 
state of the weather, the quadrant, the compass, the laws 
of vegetation, their god. But what are the laws of na- 
ture but the will of the Creator impressed upon nature ? 
Whence these laws ? What is the thermometer, the com- 
pass, the telescope, or the sprouting of seed, without the 
upholding power of the Creator ? ISTature is nothing with- 
out the active presence of her Maker ; the laws of matter 
are nothing but expressions of the will of the Creator. 
Cuvier did not originate the four great plans on which 
the animal kingdom is constructed; he only discovered 
what the Creator had done. Kepler and Laplace have 
not made any of the laws of the universe ; they have only 
discovered them. Of the miracle, then, before us, what 
think you ? Was not the flesh of Daniel as sweet to the 
taste of the lions as the flesh of his enemies ? Why did 
the lions leave Daniel untouched, and yet devour his per- 
secutors as soon as they were cast into their den ? The 
Bible answers this question. Daniel was not hurt by the 
lions, BECAUSE HE BELIEVED IN HIS GoD. Daniel gives him- 
self the true explanation. " My God hath sent his angel, 
and hath shut the lions' mouths that they have not hurt 
me.'' It was faith, as the Apostle Paul tells us, that 
stopped the lions' mouths. It was in consequence of Dan- 
iel's faith in God that the angel quelled the fury of the 
hungry lions. Their ferocious disposition is proverbial ; 
but they surround Daniel gently as lambs. We are not 
told how the angel shut their mouths ; whether they were 



820 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

awed by the majesty and brightness of the angelic nature, 
or whether their physical powers were for the time par- 
alyzed, or whether some powerful influence operated on 
their nature, we cannot determine. The result we know^ 
but not the mode of producing it. The agent of Daniel's 
protection was an angel — ^probably the angel of Jehovah's 
presence, who appeared to Abraham and to the three He- 
brews in the fiery furnace. 

The Scriptures give us many examples of the agency 
of angels in ministering to God's people. "We may not 
comprehend liow or in what way God exerts his jpower 
over the instincts and fierce propensities of the heasts of 
the earth, and yet the fact is beyond doubt. The Creator 
gave man dominion over the earth and its animals, and 
placed his fear upon the beasts of the field. The fire of 
the human eye proclaims man's supremacy over the fierce 
monsters of the forest. Man's ingenuity in making in- 
struments of defense is more than a counterbalance to 
brute agility and strength. It is supposed by some that 
the fierce passions of animals are consequences of Adam's 
fall, and that the Millennium, or the triumph of the 
Gospel, will restore the animals to their primeval state ; 
that then the lion and tiger, and the fish of the sea and 
birds of the air, will recognize man as their lord, and do 
him homage as God's vicar on earth. This theory I re- 
gard more in the light of poetry than of sober truth — as 
more beautiful in theory than probable in reality. Still, 
it is true that God has power over the destructive pro- 
pensities of animals. If man has lost the reins of abso- 
lute dominion over the beasts of the field and birds of the 
air, God has not ; He still holds them. There are uumer^ 



GOD'S DOMINION OVER AJSTIMALS. 321 

ous instances scattered tlirougliont the Bible. The ravens 
bring food to the prophet ; the damb ass, at God's bidding, 
preaches a most effective and direct sermon to the dis- 
obedient and self-willed prophet. A fish of the sea 
swallows Jonah, and another brings tribute-money to our 
Lord. And in the example before us, the fiercest of all 
the animal kingdom sit or stand, and crouch around the 
man of God, and dare not touch him ; the hand of God 
was upon them. The power of God over the fury of the 
lions is seen not only in shutting their mouths, but also 
in opening them — in shutting them against Daniel, but in 
opening them upon the princes ; they cannot hurt Daniel, 
but devour his persecutors. 

God had wrought many "signs and wonders" before 
Pharoah, when his court was the dominant power in the 
world. He had given miraculous proofs of his supreme 
Divinity before the Chaldean court, when it was at the 
zenith of its power and glory. The deliverance of Daniel 
and the destruction of his enemies was a demonstration 
of the same to the court of Persia. The miracles wrought 
before Pharoah and N"ebuchadnezzar were intended to 
call the attention of these monarchs toward the Jewish 
religion, and secure favor for the Jewish captives. The 
same thing was designed and secured by the deliverance 
of Daniel. See verses 25-27. 

Y. The history in hand teaches us, again, that the power 
of God is not only over all the leasts of the field., and all 
the elements of nature^ but that He is eveky wheke, to 

PROTECT AND BLESS ALL THOSE THAT TRUST IN" HiM. Daniel 

was not hurt by the lions, " because he believed in his 

God." His God sent his angel to shut the lions' mouths. 

21 



322 LECTUEES ON DANIEL. 

because before him Daniel was found innocent of any 
fault either toward him or toward the king. A belieyer 
cannot be shut out from the presence of his God. He may 
be banished from his country and his home ; he may be 
cast into the depths of the angry sea ; he may be thrown 
into caves of the earth — sealed up in the lions' den; but 
he cannot be banished from his God. On the top of 
Ararat and of Mount Sinai — in the silent catacombs of 
Rome — amid the parching sands of the desert — on the 
great waves of the sea — wherever there is a Christian 
heart, there is the Christian's God, to bless and deliver 
him. How blessed is the thought that God is not con- 
fined to temples made with hands. "What a blessed pri- 
vilege that we are not obliged to have a consecrated 
altar, a priest, a wafer, holy water, and the oil of extreme 
unction before we can obtain the forgiveness of our sins. 
The Christian, whether in the depths of the forest, or in 
the mines of California, or toiling as a slave under the 
burning sun of Louisiana, or on the loftiest pinnacle of 
the Andes, every where finds a temple, a sacrifice, and 
an altar, even Jesus. " If he ascend into heaven, He is 
there ; if he descend into the grave, He is there ; if he 
take the- wings of the morning and go down into the depths 
of the sea, even there is his Lord and Saviour too. God's 
eye can pierce all darkness ; God's heart can pity his 
captive any where ; and God's hand can help him in spite 
of all obstacles. So Daniel felt, and so thousands of God's 
saints have felt it too." — Cumming. 

YI. Li view, then, of Daniel's deliverance, learn, al- 
ways AXD EVERT WHEEE, TO PUT YOTJK TRUST Df GoD 

Under all circumstances, at home or abroad, in health or 



PUT YOUR CONFIDENCE IN GOD. 323 

in sickness, with friends or under the stern gaze of in- 
quiring strangers, never cease to put your confidence in 
God. Do not look at things, but look at the Creator and 
Governor of all things. If you are an enemy to God, then 
all the universe is arrayed against you ; but if you are 
reconciled to God — if you are once more at peace vs^ith 
him — then you are in harmony with yourself, in harmony 
with his laws, and consequently happy with all things. 
He commands the elements to do you good. For you the 
winds are to make music, and the waves are to bring you 
the fruits of the earth, and all things shall wokk together 
for your good. 

It is true, as the Persian monarch says in his decree, 
" God maketh signs and wonders." It is his voice that 
has called forth the beauteous spring. The flower that 
germinates — -the bud that bursts from the stem — the frag- 
rance that floats in the air— the sweet warblings from 
gardens and forests that charm you, and the glorious 
heavens above you, are all evidences of his presence, and 
power, and goodness. There is just as much of God's 
mighty power present in making your living heart con- 
tinue to beat this moment, as there was in making Laza- 
rus' dead heart begin to beat again. God's signs and 
wonders are all around us. We are ourselves a part of 
them. Our history is full of miracles of mercy. Philo- 
sophers, in their pride, and to hide their own ignorance, 
call the tokens of the living God, phenomena. The Bible 
calls them his signs and wonders. Newton discovered 
orbs, and laid the line and the plummet on the very out 
skirts bf creation ; but this he could never have done had 
not the Creator's hand been there before him, and laid 



324 LECTURES 0^ DANIEL. 

His laws upon them, hj whicli He guides them still. It 
was the hand of Daniel's God that mingled those beau- 
teous colors which the same ^^Tewton was the first to 
analyze, and have since been made to paint the unerring 
portrait. God launched into being the suns and systems 
whose vast revolutions the astronomer now calculates 
with so much accuracy. God buried the vast Saurian 
tribes before man was created. He knows all the dis- 
coveries that science will make. He understands all the 
creeds that men will ever propound. He sees through 
all the cabinet councils that will ever sit in Parliament, 
in Divan, or Congress ; and He has determined that the 
wrath of man shall praise Him, that the Gospel shall pre- 
vail, and His glory fill the earth. 

Finally. In Daniel's fidelity to his conscience and his 
God, we have an instance of the sublimest moeal heroism. 
It was not that Daniel was insensible to the favor of the 
kins: ; it was not that he did not love life, or that he cared 
nothing for the privileges of his position as first of the 
presidents. The penalty threatened was death, and death 
in an aggravated form. Death is a terrible penalty. 
Death is the most unnatural of all things. It is something 
abhorrent to all living creatures. Man. was not made to 
die ; his very nature shrinks from death. Death, in itself, 
was not desirable even to the Apostle Paul. He did not 
desire to "be unclothed," but he desired "to be with 
Christ." He was willing to meet the foe, for the sake of 
the victory ; he was willing to pass through the dark and 
stormy sea, that he might gain the shore of beauty and 
blessedness that stretched beyond it. ITature shrinks 
from death, but faith teaches the true Christian to say, 



THE CHRISTIAN'S HAPPY DEATH 325 

" O death, wliere is thy sting ? O grave, where is thy 
victory ? Thanks be unto God that giveth us the victory 
through Jesus Christ." It was a true and living faith, 
then, that enabled Daniel to triumph over the fear of 
death. His faith taught him that his God was able to 
deliver him, or to make his death, amid the ravenous 
wild beasts, the forerunner of endless life. Faith whis- 
pered to him, as he was led along and cast into the lions' 
den, If this is to be the manner of my death, then this den 
will be the vestibule of glory. His faith told him that 
death was not a sinking into nonentity — that it was not 
even a momentary suspension of the continuity of life. It 
is only a transition. When the Christian dies, he does 
not cease to be. When the eye that looks upon us with 
so much affection, and the lips that breathe our name are 
closed, our father or child has not ceased to be. Their 
eyes are open upon another and a brighter world. They 
have only begun to live. The evening twilight of this 
world closes only upon the eye of a believer as the morn- 
ing twilight of glory bursts upon him, and begins to open 
into the brightness of eternal day. The flame that con- 
sumes the martyr's body is the chariot that wafts his soul 
to immortality. 

The sublime moral heroism of Daniel was the result of 
his faith in God, and his faith in God was the result of 
his early religious education. The Christian principles 
in which he was educated sustained him through his 
eventful life. 

May yom- lives be full of honor and happiness, and 
your deaths be for the glory of God, through Jesus Christ, 
to whom be praise forever. Amen. 



326 ■ LECTURES ON DANIEL 



LECTUEE XVL 

DANIEL A STUDY AXD MODEL FOK YOUl^G l^tEN AWAY 
FKOM HOME. 

On Dan., vi., 28. 

" So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of 
Cyrus the Persian." 

Young Men in Cities. — Advantages and Dangers. — Evils of Clubs and GoUege 
Commons. — Perils of Toung professional Men and of Clerks. — Crisis in a 
young Man^s Life. — New Orleans not the vjorst City above Q/'ound. — Young 
Men's Christian Association. — DanieVs Diligence. — A Model Statesman. — 
His Promptitude, Punctuality^ Integrity^ Temperance^ Benevolence. — High 
Character of New Orleans Business Men. — Aim High. — " Tracts for the 
Times.'''' — Our Savans not yet manufactured a Spider. — Every Age has its 
Peculiarities. — Young Men must be armed for the Battle of the Age. — Gross 
Materialism of our Times. — Namby-pambyism of our popular Press. — Bible. 
— Young Men are the only Men for the Times. — Air-gun Attacks. — Don't 
luear out your Cerrtificatss. — Not Churchmen nor Sectarians^ but piovs. — Not 
Crdb-applc Christians, but active ones. — Importance of early religious Cul- 
ture. — MOTHERS luanted. — Trust in Providence. — No Fanaticism in per- 
sonal Peligion. — God the young Man's best Patron. — Your Privileges supe- 
rior to those of Daniel. — You must have a personal Acquaintance with Re- 
ligion. — Farevjell of the Series. 

With this sixth, chapter the historical part of the boot 
of Daniel ends. We find no further use of the Chaldee 
language after this chapter. The subsequent part of the 
book being occupied with an account of Daniel's own 
visions, and not containing edicts of Chaldean or Persian' 
kings, is written, as we should expect it to be, in Daniel's 
own language, and in just such Hebrew as we should ex- 
pect such a man as Daniel, a well-educated Hebrew, liv- 



YOUXG MEN AWAY FROM HOME. 327 

ing in the courts of Babylon and Persia in the time of 
IsTebuchadnezzar and Cyrus, would use. It is easy to see 
that the object of the writer of this book has not been to 
give a regular and complete history, either of the Baby- 
lonish kings, of their successors, or of Daniel himself. 
Those, and only those, events are noticed which tend to 
exhibit Jehovah as working miracles, in order to preserve 
and, in due season, deliver his ancient covenant people 
out of their captivity. That there is an ethical and re- 
ligious design in the narratives is most palpable ; but we 
have shown that this is no reason for believing the whole 
history a mere fable. It is clear that the writer designed 
to commend a steadfast adherence to the principles and 
practice of piety and virtue, amid the trials and tempta- 
tions to which the Hebrews were exposed in their captiv- 
ity in Babylon. And in Daniel we have a most felicitous 
grouping of virtues, personal, private, and public, for the 
study and imitation of young men who are, as he was, 
away from home^ and obliged to live in great cities. If 
extremes do not meet in our large towns and cities, they 
are certainly near neighbors. In such a city as London, 
Yienna, Paris, New York, or I^ew Orleans, there is to 
be found something of every thing, and something of 
every thing of the best, and something of every thing of 
the worst. It is this fact that gives such importance to 
the entrance of young men into large cities, or to their 
assuming independent positions in them, even after they 
have been brought up there. Por example, as to amuse- 
ments, whether for the health of the body or the cultiva- 
tion of the mind, a young man may find the worst or the 
best in a great city. The intellect may be enlarged, the 



328 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

perceptive powers quickened, habits of promptness and 
decision formed, and tlie mind be stored, by attendance 
on Lectures bj men of the highest science and of ap- 
proved moral characters and sentiments, and by inter- 
course with intelligent, high-minded, active business men. 
The very atmosphere of a busy cojnmunity is inspiring, 
and should be elevating. This is one view of the mat- 
ter. There is another, and a different one also. Young 
men in cities may quicken their talents at the expense of 
their virtue and reputation, by the coarser wit of clubs 
and societies where religion furnishes the best joke, and 
sobriety and chastity the loudest laugh. It may be put 
down as a safe, as a very important rule, that no youth 
at school or college, or away from home, should be al- 
lowed to lodge or board in commons ; but always to take 
meals where a lady presides at the head of the table. I 
had rather a son of mine should grow up ignorant of the 
curriculum of university studies, than for him to live 
without the society of intelligent and pious females for 
three or four years. But let us take another illustration 
of the point in hand. A young man, away from home, 
and beginning life in a great city, desires to enter the 
learned professions. As such, he may be associated with 
the most high-minded, religious, straightforward lawyer 
or physician, or he may be placed with the very reverse ; 
and instead of learning from his associates an honorable 
way to renown and fortune, he may be taught, by their 
example, and by a gradual training under the older mem- 
bers of the profession, to regard as the one object of his 
life and business, to draw the life-blood to the last drop 
from every unfortunate client or patient. Or if the young 



ENTRANCE UPON CITY LIFE. 329 

man enters a house of business, lie may find liimself 
with a firm who, both by theory and practice, inculcate 
every thing that is honest, noble, and of good report ; or 
he may find his lot among those with whom profession is 
not principle — whose lengths, measures, and descriptions 
of merchandise are varied to suit customers — where 
Mammon is the only god served, and where clerks are 
complimented on the principle that gain is godliness — 
where honesty to the buyer is counted dishonesty to the 
seller — where the net profits shown by the ledger are 
counted of more consequence than the certain losses re- 
corded in the Book of God. The dangers to which youths 
are exposed in large cities have often been pointed out, 
and in the most earnest and affectionate manner, from 
this pulpit. It does not come within my present scope 
to dwell upon them. This much, however, must now be 
said, that the entrance of a young man upon his life in a 
large city is a great crisis in his existence. It is then, if 
not before, that the trial comes that will show what stuff 
he is made of. It is then the question, to be or not to be, 
is pressed with an emphasis totally unknown before ; to be 
or not to be, a virtuous man ; to be or not to be, an hon- 
orable man ; to be or not to be, a religious man — a man 
of God, thoroughly furnished unto every good work ; to 
be or not to be, mindful of the principles of their pa- 
rent ; to serve or not to serve the God of their fathers : 
these are the questions which, of all others, he must de- 
cide on his entrance upon life in a city. Here are temp- 
tations to vice, facilities for gratifying a depraved taste, 
opportunities for profound secrecy, and refinement in the 
forms of sensuality ; and here the gradations of the down- 



qc>o LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

ward course of iniquity are so imperceptible, and yet 
their tendency so certainly fatal, both, to body and soul, 
to happiness here and hereafter, that it is not without 
some appropriateness that our city is called "the modern 
Babylon." I do not admit that our city is as bad as its 
reputation abroad makes it. I do not believe it is any 
worse, not quite as bad as other cities in our own country, 
and certainly not equal in vice to the large cities of the 
Old World ; still, a young man's life in jSTew Orleans is 
full of perils. It is proper that the arrival of a youth 
from the country, or from a smaller town, or the starting 
out in life of one brought up among us, should be an oc- 
casion of deep anxiety. To one from the country every 
thing is new — the modes of doing business are new — the 
subjects of conversation are new. His associates and 
channels of news are different from those with which he 
has been accustomed. The churches, and modes of wor- 
ship, and ministers, are all new. He is not acquainted 
with the pious people of the city. Ko wonder, then, that 
we have thought it imj)ortant to have a Toung Men's 
Christian Association formed in this city, that may sym- 
pathize with the young man from home, and throw 
around him a shield of protection and encouragement. 
The young man that now knows the heart of a stranger 
need be friendless no more. He is no longer left to the 
mercy of the vicious and imgodly. But so precious are 
his interests, and so perilous still is his condition, that it 
is no wonder his family at home follow him with deep so- 
licitude. ]^o wonder that his mother and sisters laid a 
Bible and some earnest religious books with his apparel, 
and that they follow him with letters, and look anxiously 



TOUR RESEMBLANCE TO DANIEL. 331 

for his, and if his letters arrive irregularly, that they are 
troubled. 'Now, while the dangers of city life are immi- 
nent, they are not inevitable. A youth may be brought 
up in, or come to and reside in, our modern Babylon un- 
harmed amid all its temptations, just as Joseph did in 
Egypt, and as Daniel remained in Babylon and Susa, amid 
all the temptations of the luxurious heathen courts of the 
Babylonish and Persian empires. Daniel so acted as to 
escape the corruptions that surrounded him, and to the 
end of a long life feared God and obtained his blessing. 
His conduct in the chief cities of the old Oriental empires 
supplies a moral for young men in our cities of the West- 
ern World. His character is now presented for your imi- 
tation ; the points of resemblance are not without their 
force. The disparities are in your favor. He was carried 
to Babylon, a heathen city, as a captive. You come as a 
freeman to a city of Gospel privileges, a city where there 
are thousands that do not bow the knee to Baal. If, in- 
deed, there be not a Lot and an Abraham here to inter- 
cede for the city, there are hundreds of pious Christian 
men and women in this city, whose example and prayers 
are worth more than the gold of Babylon. Daniel and 
his three friends were of the first families of Jerusalem. 
They were carried to Babylon when about seventeen or 
twenty years of age. Their age and temperaments, hopes 
and fears, trials and temptations, were, therefore, similar 
to your own. It will not be proper for me to repeat what 
has been already said in this series of Lectures. I can 
now do but little more than seize on a few of the more 
important points of his character. And, 

I. DanDX is a model man FOK all YOrNG MEN ON AC- 



332 LECTURES OX DAXIEL. 

COUNT OF HIS DILIGENCE IX BUSINESS. Tou remember how 
he declined the royal table, and yet became more comely 
than the other captives, and how he was promoted to 
great honoi'^. He served at least five royal masters: 
Nebuchadnezzar, Evil-Merodach, Belshazzar, Darius, and 
Cyrus, yet his unscrupulous persecutors could "find 
neither error nor fault in him " — no partiality, no selfish 
ness, no remissness, no harshness, no mismanagement ot 
the public funds, nor of the public business in any way 
What a model for business young men, clerks, agents of 
commercial houses, and politicians. His success was 
doubtless owing, in part, to his diligence in acquiring 
knowledge. As a statesman under so many different 
monarchs and dynasties, it required effort to make him- 
self acquainted with the diversified duties of his official 
station. He was the first president of the rulers of one 
hundred and twenty provinces, and Rah Mag^ or chief 
of the college of learned men ; consequently, he had to 
make himself familiar with the scientific and political 
knowledge of his times. He had no time to read novels 
and superficial Eeviews, had there been such trash then 
in the metropolis. His intellect was expended in re- 
searches for knowledge as for hid treasures. Few states- 
men have served so many masters without flattering any, 
or been so successful in the management of public affairs, 
or been so useful to the states over which they have pre- 
sided. Samuel, Joseph, and Daniel are the best speci- 
mens of prime ministers that have ever appeared on 
earth. 

In the administration of the royal laws, Daniel was dili- 
gent and prompt. At the appointed hour he was at his 



PERFECTION OF HIS CHARACTER. 333 

place in the Mng^s gate. l!To one could accuse him of a 
want of punctuality — no one could charge him with im- 
patience in hearing causes, nor of the want of delib- 
eration in his decisions, nor of weakness in the exe- 
cution of the judgments decreed; nor was there any 
deficiency in the revenue of one hundred and twenty 
provinces. As Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary 
of State, his enemies themselves being judges, there was 
nothing to be found against him. Uncertain markets, 
distracting competitions, a voluminous correspondence, 
the incessant cares and excitements of office — how must 
all these things have pressed upon him ! yet his strong, 
well-balanced, prayer- sustained mind, took such a clear, 
comprehensive, wide-reaching control of the vast affairs 
of the dominant empire of the globe, that he was without 
fault. He so counseled his royal masters, as to preserve 
their dominions tranquil, loyal, and secure. As a student, 
as a subject, as a statesman, from early youth to old age, 
Daniel was remarkable for his habits of sobriety, indus- 
try, and piety ; he was both diligent in business and fer- 
vent in spirit, serving the Lord. He was no idler, no 
loiterer, no lackadaisical youth ; his industry was not to 
feed and pamper himself. ISTever did man spend less for 
his personal gratification who had so much at command. 
He never pandered to any guilty passions, nor luxuriated 
in the debaucheries of vice ; he made no provisions for 
the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. Had he been guilty 
of such things, his enemies would not have failed to ex- 
pose his guilt with malignant joy. He was not a world- 
ly-minded man. The love of money was not found in 
him. His toil was not to indulge himself in low gratifi- 



334 LECTURES OX DAXIEL 

cations, nor to aggrandize himself or his relations. ELq 
wa-s thoroughly a man of husiness^ and he was quite as 
thoroughly a man of God. 

Young men, it is your duty to be men of business, of 
high business talents and character. You know better 
than I can tell you, that loiterers, procrastinators, and 
tattlers, and busy bodies in other men's business, cannot 
succeed in this community. You already know that la- 
ziness is disreputable, that dilatoriness is disgraceful, that 
procrastination is a reproach. There is not a more in- 
dustrious, honest, manly, high-minded, upright, prompt, 
whole-souled business community on the globe than we 
have here. Fix your mark high. Acquire at once a 
character for integrity, and for the quickness, punctual- 
ity, neatness, and high manliness of all your transactions, 
^ith the urgency of such motives upon you as the Gos- 
pel supplies, you must not be content with small things. 
In such a city as this, aim directly at becoming first-rate 
business men. Let it be a point of honor with you, 
whether you are in the lecture-room, or in the warehouse, 
or in the mechanic's shop, or in the profession of the law 
or of medicine, that you will seek for distinction, for in- 
tegrity-, and proficiency in your particular calling. The 
apostle has told us, " It is good to be zealously affected 
always in a good thing." 

11. Daniel is the young man's model fok earnest2o:ss 
DT HIS RELIGION. His whole life illustrates the criminality 
of indifference to such a subject as religion. I have 
sought to make these Lectures '' Tracts for the Times," as 
it respects the duties of young men to their country and 
their God. I have sought to make you somewhat ac- 



CHARACTER OF OUR AGE. 335 

• 

quainted with some of the modes of attack upon your 
religious faith moat to be feared, and to put you in some 
measure on your guard against the phases of infidelity 
and skepticism peculiar to our day. It is true that hu- 
man nature is every where the same ; and it is also true 
that the world, for at least some six or seven thousand 
years, has not furnished us with a single experimental 
fact going to show that it is possible, by any process of 
development, to make a world without a Creator; and 
surely the experiment has been continued long enough. 
And if now our savans^ with all the light of the " Ves- 
tiges of Creation " and of the nebular hypothesis, are 
not able to make one spider, nor to make a human being 
out of a monkey, we may be excused for holding still to 
our old orthodox belief, that " in the beginning God cre- 
ated the heaven and the earth," " and all that in them 
is." Every age has its characteristics in philosophy, 
science, morals and religion. Our age is grossly mate- 
rial, and yet ethereal. For while we live amidst intense 
pursuits of the things that perish, our received opinions 
of common sense, and of man's relations and hopes, are 
violently attacked from the airy heights of a dreamy, im- 
personal, impalpable, soi disant philosophy. The poets, 
essayists, and historians of the age generall}'', and not a 
little of every species of our popular literature, is a mass 
of namby-pambyism that enfeebles the " intellect, cor- 
rupts the imagination, and destroys the soul. And. these 
are all the more dangerous because they are made chiefly 
by professed lovers of truth. By giving specious titles 
to things, and wrong names to errors, their batteries are 
masked, their shots are from air-guns that makeno noise, 



330 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

• 

and their deathly blows are not seen till the victim is 
past hope. 

In an age so impetuous and vigorous, the only men for 
the times are young men, who by education, discipline, 
and noble bearing, are up to the exigencies of their age. 
Such men are always Bible made ; their characters are 
formed after Bible models, and their conduct regulated 
by Bible principles. In seeking a home, therefore, in a 
strange city, be sure to carry with you the evidences of 
your church membership, and call at once on the minis 
ter of the place whether God leads you. Don't put it 
off till you wear out your certificate by carrying it in 
your pocket. Engage at once in the Sabbath school and 
other approved agencies, by which to encourage and 
comfort the servant of God in whose congregation youi 
residence may be. l^ever was there an age or a country 
where pious young men had such a destiny in their 
hands as in this age of the United States. It is intelli- 
gent, Bible-formed piety that will save this continent 
from paganism and papal priestcraft, and that only. 
ITothing else will do. Every possible motive urges you 
not to be bigots, churchmen, or sectarians, but earnest, 
intelKgeut, high-minded, whole*hearted Christians. In 
ages past, and even now, there are too many pious people 
living in the strait-jackets of little, prejudices, and lying 
on the Procrustean beds of their own short and narrow 
creeds. But the Gospel is not a yoke of ceremonies or 
dogmas. It is liberty, life, and salvation. The age calls 
you not to be sour-faced, fault-finding, complaining fol- 
lowers of Christ, but cheerful, hopeful, active, earnest, 
pious disciples of the one and only great Redeemer. The 



TAKE DANIEL AS YOtJR MODEL. ZZT 

great JSTapoleon was told that all that France wanted to 
make her the greatest nation in the world was mothees. 
It is true that intelligent, pious, praying mothers are 
the greatest benefactors of any age or country. ISTever 
can you too highly appreciate the blessings of religious 
culture. 

III. In conclusion, then, we desire you to take Daniel 
as your model. Study him in all the completeness of his 
character as a man, a prophet, and a statesman ; as to his 
capacities and their improvement ; his habits and busi- 
ness traits. Forget not his steadfast adherence to prin- 
ciple, seen in his life-long devotion to the law and service 
of his God ; and that, too, amidst the most appalling 
persecutions. He served God in little things as perse ver- 
ingly and as fully as in great things. With him true 
principle was .ever and always the only expediency. 
Yaried and oft repeated as were his trials, he had but 
ONE RULE, which was to obey his God unhesitatingly and 
cheerfully. Tlie result he committed to Him whom he 
served. His enemies left no stone unturned by which to 
compass his ruin ; but always did they fail. They flat- 
tered, they threatened, and they tried to overreach him ; 
but no cause for his accusation could be justly found 
against him, either as to his activity and capacity, or 
honesty in business, nor as to his loyalty. It was at last 
only in regard to his religion that they dared to attack 
him. His heroism was of the noblest kind. It overcame 
the most appalling difficulties in the best of causes, and 
from the purest of motives. And was not Daniel right in 
his steadfast adherence to the law and service of his God ? 

From whom had he his being? By whom had he been 

22 



338 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

preserved all his life long, and exalted to favor in various 
kingdoms ? To whom was he indebted for the revelations 
of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as well as for the ex- 
planation of the handwriting on the wall ? And are you 
not indebted to the Creator likewise for your existence 
and well being ? Is not the God of Daniel your Maker, 
Preserver, and Benefactor, and will He not soon be your 
Judge ? Have you not your health, education, reason, 
speech, and civil, social, and religious status from Him ? 
Ought not the creature to worship the Creator ? Ought 
not the beneficiary to praise the Benefactor? And 
ought not the sinner to seek reconciliation with his 
Sovereign, and acceptance with his Judge ? There is then 
no fanaticism in religion like that of Daniel. It is the 
highest reason, and the only true heroism, to fear God 
and keep his commandments. 

Like Daniel, then, let me urge you, in closing this 
series of discourses, to rely upon God with an unfaltering 
trust in his providence. Daniel's heroism was such as 
the world can neither give, nor appreciate, nor take away. 
It was godly. He was decided, open, and bold in his 
avowal of the God of his fathers as his God. He again 
and again declared that he could not deny or forsake the 
religion of his fathers. ISTothing could induce him to 
conform to the fashionable, court religion of Babylon. 
And his professions were his principles. He had not a 
mere form of godliness, but also its spirit and power. 
He was a Jew inwardly. He belonged to the true circum- 
cision. Hence he trusted in his God, and relied on Him 
in the face of the most appalling and cruel punishment. 
He believed in his heart, and confessed with his mouth, 



CONFESS CHRIST ALWAYS. 3a9 

and put his trust in the true God, and he was not dis- 
appointed. He would not take any situation, nor keep 
any place, upon the condition either expressed or implied, 
that he must depart in the smallest matter from the in- 
junctions of the law of his God. Like him, then, take 
care never to offend your conscience, never shrink from 
duty, because of difficulties ; never tamper with convic- 
tions ; never forget the words of the Lord Jesus, who has 
said : " Fear not them who can kill the body, but after 
that have no more that they can do, but rather fear Him, 
who, after He hath killed, hath power to cast into hell.'' 
Fix the resolve deep in your souls that you will abide by 
well formed convictions, cost what it may. If you must 
suffer persecution for confessing Christ, be it so. Confess 
Him cheerfully amidst all persecution that may arise to 
you on that account. Bear up against all temptations to 
deny Him, by remembering his gracious promise, that 
He will confess you before his Father and his holy angels. 
" Him that honoreth me, I will honor. He that despiseth 
me, shall be lightly esteemed." To be like Daniel, you 
must have a personal interest in the God of your pious 
fathers. You must, by sincere penitence and faith, appro- 
priate Him to yourself as your God. And to do this, you 
must, like Daniel, be regular, punctual, fervent, and 
persevering in prayer and in the study of God's revealed 
will. The strength and rationality of Daniel's character 
is found in the divine im/primatur of his deliverance 
from the lions : Because he 'believed his God. His edu- 
cation had been a good one. He had been instructed in 
his early years in the law of his God, and he had kept 
himself from all defilement. He never read sickly, sen- 



340 LECTURES ON DANIEL. 

timental, moon-stricken novels and essays, nor gazed on 
licentious pictures, nor consorted with profligate " fast 
boys about town," nor done that which he would have 
been ashamed to tell his father, nor found where the ap- 
proach of his mother's footfall would have made him take 
to flight. He was a diligent student of the Scriptures 
of God. But you have advantages even greater than he 
had. Your age and country are in advance of his. You 
are a freeman. He was a captive. You have Christ and 
his Apostles, in addition to Moses, the Psalms, and the 
Prophets, which he had. But all will be of no avail, but 
rather aggravate your guilt, if you believe not in the Son 
of God; and receive Him as the only Kedeemer. Make 
God your portion. Serve Him with all your soul. Trust 
in Him, and to the end of the earth He will be your 
friend. And to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
Ghost be everlasting praise. Amen. 



THE END. 



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